DRDO to Conduct Eighth Ballistic Missile Interceptor Test

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) are going to conduct its eighth ballistic interceptor missile which can be fall any day between 19 November and 22 November 2012.

Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, K. Saraswat, had asserted that the attacker, a modified Prithvi missile, would take off from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur district of Odisha, mimicking an enemy missile while the interceptor would blast off from the Wheeler Island and pounce on the attacker in endo-atmosphere at an altitude of 15 km to 16 km.

The interceptor missile is called Advanced Air Defence (AAD) system and it race at a supersonic speed to intercept the attacker and destroy it.

Out of the seven interceptor missiles tests conducted by the DRDO so far, six was successful. The first interceptor mission took place in November 2006 in exo-atmosphere at an altitude of 48 km and it was successful. The second test, which took place in December 2007, in endo-atmosphere at an altitude of 15 km was  again successful. Out of the seven tests, five took place in endo-atmosphere at a height less than 20 km.

The interceptor is around 7.5-meter long single stage solid rocket propelled guided missile which is equipped with a navigation system, a hi-tech computer and an electro-mechanical activator.

The interceptor missile had its own mobile launcher, secure data link for interception, independent tracking and homing capabilities and sophisticated radars.