Hi-tech defences: India ‘successfully tests’ missile shield

Officials say shield destroyed two incoming missiles.


Afp February 10, 2012

BHUBANESWAR: India successfully tested on Friday an interceptor defence shield developed to detect and destroy incoming ballistic missiles, a government official said.

Officials from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said an indigenously developed interceptor missile locked on to the targets, two nuclear-capable missiles, and destroyed them in a test in eastern India.

DRDO spokesman Ravi Gupta said radars following the two destroyed missiles detected fragments falling into the Bay of Bengal off the state of Orissa.

“India is the fifth nation to have these ballistic missile defence capabilities in the world,” Gupta said in a statement.

The test was carried out at a missile launch site located 200 kilometres from Orissa state capital of Bhubaneswar.

Pakistan has said New Delhi’s missile programme could trigger a new arms race in the region.

A similar test in 2010 by the DRDO was abandoned when radars following a ‘hostile’ missile lost track of it after it blasted off from the launch site.

The system’s tracking and fire-control radars were developed by the DRDO jointly with Israel and France.

India last month said it would soon test a nuclear-capable missile with a range of over 5,000 kilometres.

India’s current longest-range nuclear-capable missile, Agni-IV, can travel 3,500 kilometres.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11th, 2012.

 

COMMENTS (36)

Shahbaz Younis | 12 years ago | Reply

A good way to squander money .... keep it up

Anwar | 12 years ago | Reply

India and Pakistan should cooperate in weapon testing. Just recently India tested a Missile-Shield system and Pakistan tested a missile. Why not cooperate by Pakistan firing the missile into India and India can test their missile defense to see if it works. Both countries can save money that way.

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