Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD)
India has an active Anti-ballistic missile (ABM) development effort using indigenously developed and integrated radars and locally designed missiles. In November 2006, India successfully conducted the PADE (Prithvi Air Defence Exercise) in which an Anti-ballistic missile, called the Prithvi Air Defense (PAD) an Exoatmospheric (outside the atmosphere) interceptor system intercepted a Prithvi-II ballistic missile. The PAD missile has the secondary stage of the Prithvi missile and can reach altitude of 80 km. During the test, the target missile was intercepted at an 50 km altitude. India became the fourth nation in the world to acquire such a capability and the third nation to develop it through indigenous effort. On 6 December 2007 the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile system was tested successfully. This missile is an Endoatmospheric (inside the atmosphere) interceptor with an altitude of 30 km. According to DRDO scientist V K Saraswat, the missiles will work in tandem to ensure a hit probability of 99.8 percent. Induction of the system into services is expected to be in 2010.
Two new anti ballistic missiles that can intercept IRBM/ICBMs are being developed. These high speed missiles (AD-1 and AD-2) are being developed to intercept ballistic missiles with the range of 5,000 km.
India also has Russian S300 PMU-2 and it is used as an interceptor for ballistic missiles. India has also shown interest in the Russian S-400, the most advanced anti-ballistic missile. An indigenous nuclear tipped surface to air missile, Akash is used to destroy low range missiles and is capable of destroying various targets and is one of the few of its kind systems in the world.
Read more about this topic: India And Weapons Of Mass Destruction
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