India Tests Interceptor Missile Against Electronically Simulated Target

India has Test-fired an upgraded version of the interceptor missile against an electronically simulated target missile over Bay of Bengal.

The anti-ballistic missile or the Advanced Air Defense (AAD) took off from Wheeler Island and destroyed an incoming target missile in the endo-atmosphere, the Hindu news daily reported Sunday.

An Advanced Air Defence (AAD) is an anti-ballistic missile designed to intercept incoming ballistic missiles in the endo-atmosphere at an altitude of 30 km (19 mi). AAD is a single-stage, solid-fuelled missile. Guidance is similar to that of PAD: it has an inertial navigation system, midcourse updates from ground based radar and active radar homing in the terminal phase. It is 7.5 m (25 ft) tall, weighs around 1.2 t (1.2 long tons; 1.3 short tons) and a diameter of less than 0.5 m (1 ft 8 in).

India plans to deploy a two-tiered Ballistic Missile Defence system to protect important cities and vital installations from enemy attack. The first phase of the two-layered system seeks to destroy incoming enemy missiles of 2,000 km range, while the second phase envisages killing incoming missiles of more than 2,000 km.

With Sunday's mission, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has conducted 11 interceptor missile tests. While eight of the missions were in endo-atmosphere, the remaining three were in exo-atmosphere. Nine of the missions have been successful so far.