News Highlight
India conducted the first successful flight test of the Ballistic Missile Defence interceptor missile capable of neutralising long-range missiles and aircraft.
Key Takeaway
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted a successful maiden flight test of phase-II Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) interceptor AD-1 missile with a large kill altitude bracket from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.
What is a ballistic missile?
- About
- A ballistic missile follows a ballistic trajectory to deliver one or more warheads on a predetermined target.
- These weapons are distinct from cruise missiles, which are aerodynamically guided in powered flight.
- Features
- It is a rocket-propelled self-guided strategic-weapons system that follows a ballistic trajectory to deliver a payload from its launch site to a predetermined target.
- Ballistic missiles can carry conventional high explosives and chemical, biological, or nuclear munitions.
- Types
- Short-range ballistic missiles stay within the Earth’s atmosphere, while intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are launched on a sub-orbital trajectory.
- Example
- Prithvi Air Defence
- Prithvi Defence Vehicle
- Advanced Air Defence (AAD)/Ashwin Ballistic Missile Interceptor.
Cruise Missiles
- About
- A cruise missile is a guided missile used against terrestrial or naval targets that remains in the atmosphere and flies a significant portion of its flight path at an approximately constant speed.
- A cruise missile travels at lower altitudes and on far straighter trajectories.
- Features
- Cruise missiles can be launched from land, sea or air for land attacks and anti-shipping purposes and can travel at subsonic, supersonic and hypersonic speeds.
- Example
- BrahMos
- Nirbhay
The AD-1 (Air Defence)
- About
- It is a long-range interceptor missile designed for both low exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric interception of long-range ballistic missiles and aircraft.
- Features
- The missile is propelled by a two-stage solid motor equipped with an indigenously developed advanced control system and a navigation and guidance algorithm to precisely guide the vehicle to the targets that move at very high speeds.
- The fully functional ballistic missile defence system contained high-power radars and could protect large areas from adversary missiles or other air attacks.
India’s Ballistic missile defence (BMD) programme
- History
- The development of anti-ballistic missiles is said to have started by the DRDO around the 2000s (after the 1999 Kargil war) because of the development of ballistic assets by Pakistan and China.
- Phase-I
- Phase-1 of the programme is said to have been completed towards the end of the 2010s and consisted of the advanced air defence systems and air defence systems based on the Prithvi missile.
- Pradyumna Ballistic Missile Interceptor will replace the Prithvi air defence, as per the DRDO.
- Phase-II
- The second phase focuses on developing anti-ballistic defence systems like the US’s Theatre High-Altitude Area Defence system, which can neutralise intermediate-range ballistic missiles.
- In addition, Akash Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAM) is part of Advanced Air Defence (AAD).
- The AD-II
- The AD-II, capable of neutralising missiles of even higher ranges, is also said to be under development.
- India also conducted its first successful anti-satellite (ASAT) test under Mission Shakti in March 2019.
Pic Courtesy: The Economic Times
Content Source: Indian Express