India successfully tests missile interceptor

PTI

Balasore (Orissa), 07 March 2011: India successfully test-fired indigenously developed interceptor missile, capable of destroying any incoming hostile ballistic missile, on Sunday from Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Wheeler Island off Orissa coast.

 

"Aimed at developing a full fledged multi-layer Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system, the trial was carried out from two launch sites of ITR off Orissa coast," defence sources said.

 

 

Describing the trial as successful, they said the whole exercise is to achieve "desired result with precision". The ’hostile’ target ballistic missile, a modified surface-to-surface ’Prithvi’, was first lifted off from a mobile launcher around 0933?hours from the launch complex-3 of ITR at Chandipur-on-Sea, 15 km from here.

 

Within four minutes, the interceptor, Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile positioned at Wheeler Island, about 70 km across sea from Chandipur received signals from long ranging tracking radars installed along the coastlines, and then travelled through the sky at a speed of 4.