Since Ashwin is a Prithvi variant and the only of its kind tested a week back the link is likely talking about Ashwin (but not stating so) , would like to understand how Indian experts are receiving this news below. I mean failures are a part and parcel of such tests but why cover up??
An earlier statement from DRDO
“The test conducted to validate
various parameters of the interceptor in flight mode has been successful,”
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/interceptor-missile-mission-a-failure/article8634085.ece
The interceptor never took off to intercept incoming “enemy” missile, say sources
The interceptor missile mission, which took place on May 15, was a failure despite claims of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to the contrary. The interceptor never took off to intercept the incoming “enemy” missile which merely fell into the Bay of Bengal, informed sources said.
An agency report on May 16 said a modified Prithvi missile was launched on May 15 from a naval ship in the Bay of Bengal and it mimicked the trajectory of a missile coming from an enemy country.
‘Never took off’
Informed sources, however, said the interceptor missile never took off from the island; so no interception took place at all. “Post-flight analysis is going on. We do not know whether there was problem in detecting the missile, whether radars tracked it and communicated it to the interceptor,” said the sources.
The DRDO developed both the Prithvi missile and the interceptor.
2015 mission failed too
In April 2015, a similar mission failed after the interceptor dived into the Bay of Bengal a few seconds after lift off. In that mission, the DRDO planned to conduct the test against an electronic target missile. In April 2014, the warhead in the interceptor failed to explode, although the interception of the incoming “enemy” missile took place at an altitude of 120 km.
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