The New Indian Express:
In a bid to develop robust Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system, India is scheduled to test fire its homegrown Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor missile from a defence base off Odisha coast on Friday. The missile would intercept a target missile, mimicking an incoming enemy weapon, mid-air.
The preparation is near complete and final check-up of subsystems is being done at the launching complex in Abdul Kalam Island. More than a hundred scientists and technical officials are camping at the test facility for the crucial launching of the complex system.
Defence sources said the test would be conducted to assess the weapon’s ‘killing’ capability. The AAD interceptor, dubbed as Ashwin, will destroy the incoming missile in endo-atmospheric region at a low altitude of less than 30 km.
As per the coordinated programme, the target missile will be launched from launch pad-III of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur and a few minutes later, the indigenously developed interceptor missile would lift off from the launching complex-IV of Kalam Island after getting requisite command from the tracking radar.
Though a similar test was attempted on November 16 last, the interceptor missile could not be launched. The DRDO scientists had, however, launched the target missile, a modified version of Prithvi-II.
