DRDO ACHIEVES MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH WITH SUCCESSFUL TEST-FLIGHT OF PHASE-II BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENCE SYSTEM

Integrated Test Range: India on Wednesday successfully flight-tested Phase-II Ballistic Missile Defence System from off the Odisha coast, the government said in a statement.

The test demonstrated India’s indigenous capability to defend against ballistic missiles of 5,000 km class, it said. The flight-test was carried out with participation of all BMD weapon system elements located at different geographical locations.

“The Target Missile was launched from LC-IV Dhamra at 1620 hrs mimicking adversary Ballistic Missile, which was detected by weapon system radars deployed on land and sea and activated the AD Interceptor system,” it said.

“The Phase-II AD Endo-atmospheric missile was launched from LC-III at ITR, Chandipur at 1624 hrs. The flight test fully met all the trial objectives validating complete network centric warfare weapon system consisting of Long Range Sensors, low latency communication system and MCC and Advance Interceptor missiles,” it added.

The performance of the missile was monitored from the flight data captured by range tracking instruments deployed at various locations, including an onboard ship, the statement said.

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The advanced interceptor missile, designed to intercept and destroy incoming ballistic missiles at altitudes of around 150 kilometres, demonstrated exceptional precision and accuracy during the test. Experts say this achievement underscores India’s growing prowess in developing cutting-edge defence technologies and strengthens its position as one of the leading countries in missile-defence systems.

The Phase-II AD Endo-atmospheric missile is an indigenously developed two-stage solid-propelled ground-launched missile system meant for neutralising many types of enemy ballistic missile threats in the altitude bracket of endo to low Exo-atmospheric regions, it said.

A number of state-of-the-art indigenous technologies developed by various DRDO labs have been incorporated into the system, it said.

The successful test-flight is a widely considered as a crucial step in bolstering India’s defence preparedness and safeguarding its territorial integrity. The Phase-II BMD system, once fully operational, will provide a robust shield against potential ballistic-missile threats, ensuring the nation’s security and deterrence capabilities.

The defence minister, Rajnath Singh, congratulated the DRDO team for this remarkable achievement and emphasized the government’s unwavering commitment to strengthening India’s defence forces through indigenous development and technological advancements. The secretary of the defence department’s R&D division and chairman of the DRDO, Dr Samir V Kamat, also congratulated the entire DRDO team for their untiring effort and contribution culminating into today’s successful flight test.

Agencies