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India’s defence research establishment achieved a major milestone after successfully conducting three consecutive missile flight tests on June 10 and 11, demonstrating key technologies for ballistic missile defence and anti-ship warfare capabilities.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said the trials showcased India’s multi-layered defence architecture against long-range ballistic missile threats as well as its ability to engage hostile naval targets at medium range.
According to DRDO, the multi-layered Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system successfully intercepted its designated targets during the tests. The interceptors engaged and destroyed incoming ballistic missile targets, validating technologies developed to counter emerging and advanced missile threats.
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Top government sources told HT that DRDO tested two interceptor missiles capable of neutralising enemy missiles with ranges between 2,000 km and 5,000 km, classified as Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missiles (IRBMs). The interceptors, which have not been identified by the Modi government, are both exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric. Sources said the interceptor missiles will soon be headed for user trials after the completion of test trials.
The reason why DRDO has accorded ballistic missile defence high priority is because Pakistan is developing long-range ballistic missiles such as Fateh-I, Fateh-II and the Chinese-origin P282, the sources said.
The successful demonstrations place India among a select group of countries possessing the capability to defend against ballistic missile attacks, including threats posed by long-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), the organisation said.
In a separate milestone, DRDO also carried out the maiden flight test of the Naval Anti-Ship Missile-Medium Range (NASM-MR). The test demonstrated the missile’s anti-ship capability at medium ranges, strengthening the Indian armed forces’ maritime strike options.
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The trials were witnessed by senior officials from DRDO and the Indian Armed Forces. Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and DRDO Chairman Rajesh Kumar Singh closely monitored the missions and praised the coordinated efforts of DRDO scientists, industry partners and the armed forces for successfully executing multiple complex tests within a span of 24 hours.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO on the successful demonstrations, saying the achievement would significantly strengthen India’s defence preparedness and enhance its capability to counter a wide range of aerial and maritime threats.
Author of Indian Mujahideen: The Enemy Within (2011, Hachette) and Himalayan Face-off: Chinese Assertion and Indian Riposte (2014, Hachette). Awarded K Subrahmanyam Prize for Strategic Studies in 2015 by Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) and the 2011 Ben Gurion Prize by Israel.
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