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India mulls fresh trial of AAD missile
BALASORE: India is contemplating a fresh trial of the advanced air defence (AAD) interceptor missile to strengthen its anti-ballistic missile defence shield. The projectile has reportedly been scheduled to be flight-tested in February second week.
Sources said the missile will be launched from the launching complex IV of Wheelers' Island off the Orissa coast. "The interceptor missile was scheduled to be tested in December last year, but the test was postponed. Now, it has again been rescheduled to February 10. The projectile will destroy an incoming missile to prove its effectiveness," said the source.
Developed by DRDO, the AAD interceptor missile is about 7.5-metre long and is a single stage, anti-ballistic, solid propellant-powered missile. It has two versions exoatmospheric (outside the atmosphere) and endoatmospheric (inside the atmosphere).
Defence sources said the exoatmospheric version has capabilities similar to the Israeli Arrow-2 system and the endoatmospheric one is considered to be similar to the American PAC-3 system in terms of range and altitude of interception.
"As per the programme, the interceptor missile will destroy an incoming hostile missile mid-flight over the Bay of Bengal. This experimentation will be to observe the operational effectiveness of the high-speed interceptor," said a scientist. "A Prithvi missile, modified to mimic a hostile ballistic projectile with a range of over 300 km, will lift off from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur and it will be destroyed in the endoatmospheric region (at an altitude of 15 km) by the interceptor fired from Wheeler Island a few seconds later," he added.
The scientists seem to be extra cautious and careful about this mission as two trials of the AAD interceptor last year had not given encouraging results. While during a test on March 15 last year, the AAD hadn't taken off as the target missile deviated from the pre-coordinated trajectory, in the July 26 test, the missile had failed to have a direct hit' with the target.
The DRDO would have two phases of the BMD systems. While the phase-I interceptor missiles, capable of neutralizing 2,000-km range missiles, will be ready for deployment by 2011 or 2012, the phase-II missiles, which will look to thwart threats from projectiles with ranges of up to 5,000 km, are expected to be ready within the next five years.
Read more: India mulls fresh trial of AAD missile - The Times of India India mulls fresh trial of AAD missile - The Times of India