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DRDO to conduct eighth ballistic
interceptor missile test this month
.interceptor missile test this month
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is set to conduct its eighth
ballistic interceptor missile test any day between
November 19 and 22. V.K. Saraswat, Scientific Adviser to the Defence
Minister, said that while the attacker, a modified
Prithvi missile, would take off from the
Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, Odisha, the
interceptor would blast off from the Wheeler
Island and pounce on the attacker in endo- atmosphere at an altitude of 15 km to 16 km. The
interceptor missile is called Advanced Air Defence
(AAD) system. While the attacker would mimic
the path of a ballistic missile launched from a
hostile country, the AAD would race at a
supersonic speed to intercept the attacker and destroy it. As the crow flies, the Wheeler Island, off Dhamra
village on the Odisha coast, is 70 km away from
Chandipur. Asked what improvements were made in this
interceptor mission, Dr. Saraswat said the
modified Prithvi missile would have a higher
velocity. “We have improved the accuracy of the
interception in the endo-atmosphere… The
interceptor will be launched in a hit-to-kill mode,”
he added.
The Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) programme
aims at protecting India’s vital assets from being
targeted by the ballistic missiles launched by
hostile neighbours. Of the seven interceptor missiles tests conducted
by the DRDO so far, six have been successful
. The
first interceptor mission took place in November
2006 in exo-atmosphere at an altitude of 48 km
and it was successful. The second test, again
successful, took place in December 2007 in endo- atmosphere at an altitude of 15 km. Out of the
seven tests, five took place in endo-atmosphere
at a height less than 20 km. After the seventh interceptor missile test on
February 10, 2012, Dr. Saraswat asserted that the
success confirmed that India’s BMD programme in
the endo-atmosphere “is now ready for
deployment and the country is now in a position
to take it to the next phase of production and induction.”
The maiden launch of Nirbhay, India’s sub-sonic
cruise missile, has been further delayed
. The
launch, which was to take place in November
this year, will now be done in January 2013, Dr.
Saraswat said. A DRDO official said the Nirbhay launch was
delayed because modifications had to be made in
the launcher. While India already had had a
successful supersonic cruise missile in BrahMos, it felt the need to develop a sub-sonic cruise missile.
Hence the development of Nirbhay, which would
fly at 0.65 Mach. The Aeronautical Development
Establishment, a DRDO unit in Bangalore, designed
Nirbhay, which had been derived from Lakshya,
a pilotless target aircraft. Nirbhay is a two-stage, surface-to-surface, terrain-hugging missile. “It
takes the oxidiser from the air. So it can travel for
a longer duration and a longer distance. Its range
is around 1,000 km.”
ballistic interceptor missile test any day between
November 19 and 22. V.K. Saraswat, Scientific Adviser to the Defence
Minister, said that while the attacker, a modified
Prithvi missile, would take off from the
Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, Odisha, the
interceptor would blast off from the Wheeler
Island and pounce on the attacker in endo- atmosphere at an altitude of 15 km to 16 km. The
interceptor missile is called Advanced Air Defence
(AAD) system. While the attacker would mimic
the path of a ballistic missile launched from a
hostile country, the AAD would race at a
supersonic speed to intercept the attacker and destroy it. As the crow flies, the Wheeler Island, off Dhamra
village on the Odisha coast, is 70 km away from
Chandipur. Asked what improvements were made in this
interceptor mission, Dr. Saraswat said the
modified Prithvi missile would have a higher
velocity. “We have improved the accuracy of the
interception in the endo-atmosphere… The
interceptor will be launched in a hit-to-kill mode,”
he added.
The Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) programme
aims at protecting India’s vital assets from being
targeted by the ballistic missiles launched by
hostile neighbours. Of the seven interceptor missiles tests conducted
by the DRDO so far, six have been successful
. Thefirst interceptor mission took place in November
2006 in exo-atmosphere at an altitude of 48 km
and it was successful. The second test, again
successful, took place in December 2007 in endo- atmosphere at an altitude of 15 km. Out of the
seven tests, five took place in endo-atmosphere
at a height less than 20 km. After the seventh interceptor missile test on
February 10, 2012, Dr. Saraswat asserted that the
success confirmed that India’s BMD programme in
the endo-atmosphere “is now ready for
deployment and the country is now in a position
to take it to the next phase of production and induction.”
The maiden launch of Nirbhay, India’s sub-sonic
cruise missile, has been further delayed
. Thelaunch, which was to take place in November
this year, will now be done in January 2013, Dr.
Saraswat said. A DRDO official said the Nirbhay launch was
delayed because modifications had to be made in
the launcher. While India already had had a
successful supersonic cruise missile in BrahMos, it felt the need to develop a sub-sonic cruise missile.
Hence the development of Nirbhay, which would
fly at 0.65 Mach. The Aeronautical Development
Establishment, a DRDO unit in Bangalore, designed
Nirbhay, which had been derived from Lakshya,
a pilotless target aircraft. Nirbhay is a two-stage, surface-to-surface, terrain-hugging missile. “It
takes the oxidiser from the air. So it can travel for
a longer duration and a longer distance. Its range
is around 1,000 km.”
DRDO to conduct eighth ballistic interceptor missile test this month - The Hindu: Mobile Edition
