India successfully tests maiden ship-based interceptor missile

India has successfully conducted the maiden flight of an endo-atmospheric interceptor missile from a naval ship to counter an enemy missile, taking the first step to have an indigenous naval ballistic missile defence capability that only a handful of nations possess.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Navy carried out the first test of a sea-based interceptor missile off the coast of Odisha on April 21.

An endo-atmospheric system means that the missile can engage with the oncoming weapon up to an altitude of 30 km.

“The DRDO and Indian Navy successfully conducted a maiden flight trial of a sea-based endo-atmospheric interceptor missile on April 21. The purpose of the trial was to engage and neutralise a hostile ballistic missile threat thereby elevating India into the elite club of nations having Naval BMD capability,” the defence ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

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Earlier DRDO has demonstrated its land-based BMD system in a series of trials over the last decade and half showing India’s capability to counter ballistic missile threats, emerging from adversaries.

In phase-1 of the BMD programme, two missile defence systems were created. One of them was named Prithvi Air Defence, which is an exo-atmosphere hypersonic interceptor to intercept at an altitude of 80-120 km, while the second one is Advanced Air Defence – an endo-atmospheric missile that can intercept enemy missiles at an altitude of 15-30 km.

Last November, DRDO conducted the maiden flight-test of phase-II of the BMD programme by launching the interceptor AD-1 missile with a large kill altitude bracket. While AD-1's range has not been officially disclosed, there are reports saying it potentially has a range of around 200 km.

Following the successful launch of naval BMD on Friday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, Indian Navy and industry partners while DRDO chairman Samir V Kamat complimented the teams involved in the design and development of the missile.

“The nation has achieved self-reliance in developing highly-complex network-centric anti-ballistic missile systems,” said Kamat, who is also the secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development.