India test-fires Advanced Air Defence missile (Lead:Air Defence missile)

India today successfully test-fired its indigenously designed and developed Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile.

Orissa, Dec 6 : India today successfully test-fired it's indigenously designed and developed Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile.

Aimed at developing a full fledged multi-layer Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system, the test-fire exercise was carried out from two different launch sites of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in the Bay of Bengal.

The target missile was first test-fired from a mobile launcher at 11 am from ITR's launch complex-3 at Chandipur-on-sea, while 2 minutes 40 seconds later the interceptor was fired from Wheeler's Island, 70 nautical miles from Chandipur.

The target missile is a modified version of India's Prithvi ballistic missile.

The 7.5- metre tall interceptor missile named Advanced Air Defence (AAD-02) painted in white, carried the emblem of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on top and the legends "Programme AD (Area Defence), AAD-02" below.

According to ITR sources, the Endo-atmospheric test attempt to hit an incoming missile within the earth's atmosphere.

This test, in which two live missiles launched as a target and an interceptor, is aims to establishing India's capability for a two-layered Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) shield for protecting vulnerable areas from an incoming enemy missile.

DRDO scientists were glued to their computer consoles at the Mission Control Centre (MCC) on Wheeler Island on Wednesday to complete the range integration checks.

The advanced anti-missile defence system will be slightly better than the American Patriot Advanced Capability - 3 (PAC-3) in terms of range and altitude of interception.

The target missile would 'mimic M-9 and M-11class of missiles in the world, which are with the adversaries.

The health of the interceptor missile and radar systems was checked as also the communication links between various elements of the weapon systems such as radars, MCC, Launch Control Centre.

The DRDO conducted a successful interception test of a missile at an altitude of 50 km in exo-atmosphere on November 27, 2006.

ANI