India successfully test fires interceptor missile

Balasore (Orissa), Mar 6 (PTI) Fortifying its defence,
India on Sunday successfully test-fired indigenously developed
interceptor missile, capable of destroying incoming hostile
ballistic missile, from a test range off Orissa coast.
The 'hostile' target ballistic missile, a modified
surface-to-surface 'Prithvi', was destroyed at an altitude of
16 km over the Bay of Bengal during the test firing,
Integrated Test Range (ITR) Director S P Dash said.
The target missile 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, in Eastern Indian state
Orissa.
In less than three minutes, the interceptor, Advanced
Air Defence (AAD) missile positioned at Wheeler Island, about
70 km across sea from Chandipur, received signals from
tracking radars installed along the coastline and ripped
across at a speed of 4.5 Mach to destroy the 'hostile'
missile.
"It was a fantastic launch. The trial, conducted from
two launch sites of ITR off Orissa coast for developing a full
fledged multi-layer Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system,
was fully successful," Dash said.
"Detailed results and the 'kill' effect of the
interceptor were being ascertained by analysing data from
multiple tracking sources," a Defence Research Development
(DRDO) scientist said soon after the trial.
The interceptor designed for endo-atmospheric
condition (up to 30 km altitude) is a seven-meter-long and
single-stage solid-rocket propelled guided missile, equipped
with an inertial navigation system, a hi-tech computer and an
electro-mechanical activator under command by the data
uplinked from sophisticated ground based radars.
The interceptor designed for exo-atmospheric condition
is a two-stage missile.
As a safety measure, the Balasore district
administration had temporarily shifted 401 civilian families
comprising a total of 3221 people, residing within two km
radius of ITR launch pad-3 at Chandipur this morning to the
nearby shelter centres.
This is for the sixth time that DRDO scientists were
testing the interceptor missile.
The previous trials were conducted on November 27,
2006, December 6, 2007 and March 6, 2009 from Wheeler Island.
The fourth test which was scheduled in mid March 2010 was
put-off twice. Due to some technical glitches in the
sub-system of the missile, the mission was aborted prior to
take off on March 14.
The next day on March 15, 2010 the target missile,
modified 'Prithvi' deviated from its pre-determined
trajectory, which forced the scientists of DRDO to put-off the
launch of the interceptor missile in last minutes.
However, the last trial, fifth in its series,
conducted on July 26, 2010 incorporating some new technologies
to the interceptor missile was a success.
As the trial was aimed at achieving the desired result
with precision, the interceptor missile had its own mobile
launcher, secure data link for interception, independent
tracking and homing capabilities and sophisticated radars,
sources said.