Snags force DRDO to postpone BMD test

Balasore: A test of an indigenously built Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor missile, designed to destroy hostile in-coming ballistic missiles, was postponed Sunday. Should factors permit, the test may be carried out today.

As with all missile tests, this test too will take place at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Wheeler Island off the Orissa's east coast.

Though the postponement was attributed to technical snags, inclement weather too played a part as Balasore town experienced heavy rainfall, accompanied by a hailstorm, for about 30 minutes in the afternoon.

The air defence exercise involves a modified Prithvi missile, mimicking a hostile ballistic missile with a range of over 300 km, taking off from the ITR at Chandipur, which is intercepted by an AAD missile, taking off from Wheeler Island off Dhamra coast a few seconds later. The modified Prithvi is then destroyed in mid-flight, at an altitude of 15 to 20 km, if all goes well.

The ballistic missile defence (BMD) system being developed by India is meant to protect major cities, nuclear power stations, space facilities and military installations. A two-tiered system, it consists of two interceptor missiles, namely the Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) missile for high altitude interception, and the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile for low altitude interception.

While the PAD will intercept missiles at exo-atmospheric altitudes of 50–80 km the AAD missile will make intercepts at endo-atmospheric altitudes of up to 30 km. A fully mature system will consist of launch vehicles, long range radars, launch control centres (LCC) and a Mission Control Centre.