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Indian Ballistic Missile better than American: DRDO scientist

Makardhwaj

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Terming the Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC) III anti-missile system as "outdated", top DRDO scientist V K Saraswat said the Indian Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) shield was better than the American system.

"PAC III is an outdated system. Our Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile is 30 percent superior in terms of range and capability. AAD intercepts at much higher ranges and altitudes compared to PAC III as it has only 15km range for BMD," he told a press conference on the successful test of BMD system on March 6.

On the role of foreign countries in the Air Defence (AD) programme, Saraswat said Russia, Israel and France have provided assistance in areas where DRDO needed help for "bridging technology gap and accelerating technology development."

Russia has helped India develop the new Radio Frequency Seeker for the interceptor missile, Israel provided help in developing the 'Swordfish' long-range tracking radar and the French have given the Fire Control System for the BMD.

Saraswat said the new warhead weighed only around 30 kg but was able to generate the impact that a 150 kg omni-directional warhead could make.

He said the new guidance system in the missile allowed it to tackle the maneuvers of enemy's incoming missile and could be used against the Russian Topol M class of missiles, which move in a zig-zag manner.

The DRDO official also said the system was "fully automated" and did not require human intervention in activating it in case of an attack by ballistic missiles.

"Under the present system, the interceptor missiles are on 'Hot Stand-by mode' and can take-off within 120 seconds of the detection of the incoming missile by the tracking radars," he said.

Saraswat also said the current missile is 30 per cent more powerful than the missile used in the December 2006 test of the endo-atmospheric interceptor.

He said during the flight of the interceptor missile towards the ballistic missile, the interceptor is constantly updated about the position of its target by the ground-based radars.

During a war, unlike the demonstration phase, a volley of interceptor missiles would be launched against enemy ballistic missiles to improve the hit probability, he said.

Commenting on the possibility of the interceptor being jammed by enemy missiles, Saraswat said with the missile having only one link with the ground, it was "very difficult" to jam it as various counter measures were in place to stop such an effort.

He said work on developing a new interceptor 'PDV' for phase-I programme was also going on.

The official said to tackle missiles with a striking range of over 6,000 km, hypersonic interceptor missiles will have to be developed for the phase 2 of the air defence programme.

"Phase 2 interceptors will have speeds of 6-7 Mach and they will be hypersonic. Missiles will have lesser time to intercept and our guidance systems have to be far more energetic and quick responsive," he said.

In the previous two trials, DRDO had successfully tested the BMD system in November 2006 outside the atmosphere at a 48-km altitude and inside atmosphere at an altitude of 15-km in December 2007.

DRDO has developed a two-tier system with the PAD missiles intercepting ballistic missiles at altitudes between 50-80 km and the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile destroying them at heights between 15-30 km.

Indian Ballistic Missile better than American
 
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DRDO claims to better US, Russias missile defence

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) claimed on Monday that by 2011 it would have mastered the technology to kill any aggressor ballistic missile with a range of 2,000. It also went on to claim that its ballistic missile defence (BMD) architecture would outclass technologies offered by the United States, Russia and Israel. The organisation’s “homegrown” BMD architecture has some Russian, Israeli and French elements weaved into it.

Dr V.K. Saraswat, chief controller, R&D and programme director (air defence), DRDO, said exo and endo-atmospheric intercept systems (designed to destroy targets within and outside the atmospheric limits) for achieving hit-to-kill probability of 99.8 per cent would be ready within two years.

The DRDO claims to have laid the foundation of India's BMD architecture, having carried out three successful flight tests of its new interceptor missiles, named PAD for the exo-atmospheric version and AAD for the endo-atmospheric variant. In the latest test conducted on March 6, the PAD intercepted a Dhanush missile launched from a warship off the Orissa coast at an altitude of 80 km in 107 seconds of launch.

The PAD had earlier intercepted an incoming missile at an altitude of 48 km in November 2006 while the AAD destroyed a modified Prithvi simulating a hostile missile within the atmospheric limits at 15 kms. As part of a multi-layered defence approach, an integrated PAD-AAD test will be conducted towards the end of this year.

Saraswat said, “It will take five tests (three already conducted) to validate BMD capabilities to destroy ballistic missiles of 2,000 km range. We will then work on interceptor missiles that can engage aggressor missiles with longer ranges.” As India prepares to beat off threats from ballistic missiles, the United States, Israel and Russia have offered to equip the Indian military with combat-proven surface-to-air guided missile systems designed to protect troops from ballistic missiles.

Nipping at the DRDO’s heels are the American Patriot air defence system, Israeli Arrow-2 BMD system and a variant of Russia's S-300 surface-to-air missiles. The US departments of defence officials have made two classified briefings to the Indian defence ministry detailing Patriot's capabilities. The PAC-3 missile incorporated in the upgraded Patriot system uses hit-to-kill technology to destroy ballistic missile targets.

But the DRDO does not want to seen as getting intimidated. Saraswat, the high-flying DRDO scientist steering India’s BMD programme, said, “BMD is a hi-tech and complex subject…it has to be indigenously developed. You cannot beg, borrow or steal it from someone. It won’t be suitable for your country. The DRDO’s BMD architecture has been customised to the Indian threat profile…The AAD is 20 per cent superior to PAC-3. ”

He said the DRDO had sought foreign collaboration only for bridging technological gaps and accelerating technology development. The long-range tracking radars (LRTR) used for detecting targets for the interceptor missiles happen to be modified Israeli Green Pine radar. Also, the DRDO’s BMD architecture uses a Russian radio frequency seeker, which it claims to have indigenised, and French fire control radar. The LRTR currently has a range of 600 km, which the DRDO plans to upgrade to 1,500 km by 2011.

India may have developed the basic building blocks for ballistic missile defence but it remains highly vulnerable to cruise missiles. Saraswat admitted that the country had no capability to intercept surface-hugging missiles.

DRDO claims to better US, Russias missile defence- Hindustan Times
 
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PACIII is operational and in-service. Where is the AAD?

Research stage. Showing promising results till now though. Expected to be operational in limited numbers by 2013-14
Unwritten extensive help from Israel.
 
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Swadeshi missile vs Patriot
- Interceptor better than US system: Scientists
Sujan Dutta
The Telegraph

A Patriot missile (top), and Dhanush
New Delhi, March 9: The missile-destroying interceptor India has tested is better than a US-made ballistic missile defence system whose capabilities have been presented by the Pentagon to India’s defence establishment, a senior Indian defence scientist said today.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation had successfully carried out its third test of a ground-based radar and control system and an interceptor to seek and destroy an incoming missile on March 6.

“This is a strategic system that needs to be developed in India.… It can’t be bought or borrowed. A (foreign-made) ballistic missile defence system (originally) developed for a threat profile different from India’s may not be suitable,” said V.K. Saraswat, director of the Prithvi Air Defence, the indigenous interceptor. “We need a system tailored to meet our own threat profile.”

Senior representatives of the Indian armed forces and the defence ministry have attended live demonstrations of the US-made Patriot Advanced Capability-III ballistic missile defence system at least twice — enough to indicate that India was seriously considering its acquisition and that the maker of the system, Raytheon Corporation, was just as serious about selling it to India. India is also examining Russian and Israeli ballistic missile defence systems.

“We do not want to talk about competition,” Saraswat said. “As far as we are concerned, we have been tasked to do a job, and that is what we are doing.”

Saraswat claimed India’s ballistic missile defence system was better than the US-made PAC-III. “The PAC-III is an outdated system. Our system is at least 25 per cent to 30 per cent superior to the PAC-III in range and capability. The PAC-III has only a 15km range,” Saraswat said.

Saraswat, who heads the DRDO missile development programme, said India would be able to complete tests of the ballistic missile defence system by 2010,

A home-grown ballistic missile defence system could be cheaper than an imported one, but years of delay may increase lifecycle costs. However, its development could help the government drive a bargain with foreign makers and push costs of imports down. The Indian system would need up to five more tests, some of which would be outside the atmosphere and some within the atmosphere, and eventually lead to a defence system that would outclass any US, Russian or Israeli system of 200km range, Saraswat claimed.

Saraswat and director of missiles Sudhir Mishra showed a video clip of the March 6 interceptor missile test from Dhamra island near the Orissa coast. The interceptor destroyed a Dhanush — an “aggressor” missile launched from a naval ship.

The interceptor, launched within 120 seconds after a ground-based radar detected the incoming missile, homed in on the target and destroyed it through an explosion when it was within nine metres of it.

In a real-time scenario, salvos of interceptors would be launched against an attacking missile instead of just one.
 
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and before you know it India will buy the american PAC3 system!
 
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Sir I don't think it will be easy as according to new policy for any new order above 300 million dollars there is minimum 30% offset which will include some parts to be made here. US administration will put some restrictions here and there about ToT and talks will keep continuing without any results :). This is a strategic system and would be developed on own. There is some help taken in some techs and already acknowledged. New interceptor missiles for higher ranges are already under development. So let's see how the things progress till now things seems going fine.
 
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In a real-time scenario, salvos of interceptors would be launched against an attacking missile instead of just one.
this just contradicts everything said about it. :rofl:


and before you know it India will buy the american PAC3 system!

Now Now .. Be nice, it might become a technical demo though.:lol:
 
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Research stage. Showing promising results till now though. Expected to be operational in limited numbers by 2013-14
Unwritten extensive help from Israel.

DRDO scientists are claiming operational status within 2 years - so the time line seems to be 2011 at best!
 
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