India Conducts Maiden Flight of Long-Range Ballistic Missile Defense Interceptor

India’s state-run Defense Research and Development Organization is developing a different version of an interceptor missile to protect strategic assets from enemy aerial threats. India is part of a select group of countries possessing domestic capability to develop such systems. The other four countries are the US, Russia, Israel, and France.

India on Wednesday carried out a maiden flight test of the AD-1 long-range interceptor missile with a "large kill altitude bracket" off the coast of the eastern state of Odisha, the Defense Ministry said.

The two-stage solid motor propelled missile is equipped with a domestically developed advanced control system, navigation, and guidance algorithm.

“The flight-test was carried out with participation of all Ballistic Missile Defense weapon system elements located at different geographical locations,” the Defense Ministry added.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh described the AD-1 as a unique interceptor with advanced technologies available to very few nations. Only the US, Russia, Israel, and France have the capability to develop such advanced missile systems.

The AD-1 has the capacity to shoot down enemy missiles both within the earth's atmosphere (endoatmospheric) and outside it (exoatmospheric).

The endoatmospheric missile can intercept incoming targets at an altitude of 15 to 25 kilometers, and the exoatmospheric missile can kill an incoming ballistic missile within a range of 2,000 km.

Another version of the interceptor is being developed that can take out incoming missiles at a distance of up to 5,000 km.

DRDO chairman Dr Samir V. Kamat stated that the interceptor will provide “great operational flexibility to the users and having capability to engage many different types of targets.”