India on Thursday test-fired its indigenously designed and developed Advanced Air Defence missile, capable of destroying any hostile ballistic missiles at low altitude, from the Integrated Test Range off Orissa's east coast.
Aimed at developing a full fledged multi-layer Ballistic Missile Defence system, the test-fire exercise was carried out from two different launch sites of the ITR in the Bay of Bengal, defence sources said.
The target missile, a modified indigenously built Prithvi was first test-fired from a mobile launcher at 1100 hours from ITR's launch complex-3 at Chandipur-on-sea, while 2 minutes 40 seconds later the interceptor was fired from Wheeler's Island, 70 nautical miles from Balasore, to intercept it at an altitude of 15 km in the mid-air.
Though both the launch, conducted successfully, were like 'text book flights', detailed results, specifically the 'kill' effects of the interceptor of the co-ordinate exercise, will be known after all data analysis from multiple sources, a defence official associated with the test said.
Scientists from the country's premier institute, the Defence Research and Development Organisation, have been working on the project for the last couple of years, the source said.
Yet to get a formal name, this new hypersonic interceptor missile is only termed as 'AAD-02' meant to be engaged in 'endo-atmospheric conditions', the source said.
India on November 27, 2006, had successfully tested an 'Exo-atmospheric' interceptor missile, PAD-01 which destroyed an incoming Prithvi missile at an altitude of 50 km and on December 2, 2007, a solo and mock trial of the present variant, was carried out with an simulated electronic target from the Wheeler's Island.
The seven-meter long AAD interceptor is a single stage solid rocket propelled guided missile, equipped with an inertial navigation system, a hi-tech computer and an electro- mechanical activator totally under command by the data uplinked from the sophisticated ground based radars to the interceptor, sources said.
Though AAD missile is designed to reach an altitude of almost 30 mt above the launch surface, Thursday's trial was conducted within 15 km altitude from it, they added.
The interceptor missile had its own mobile launcher, secure data link for interception, independent tracking and homing capabilities and its own radars.
The trial was conducted in the presence of top defence scientists including V K Saraswat, chief controller of DRDO's research and development (missile and strategic systems), they said.