| Submit your comments on this article |
| India-Pakistan |
| India conducts ABM test |
| 2006-11-27 |
| India's defence scientists on Monday successfully experimented with the coordinated launch of two surface-to-surface Prithvi-2 missiles from two different test ranges on the Orissa coast, defence sources said. The Prithvi-2, as a target missile, was first launched from the launch complex number 3 of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, 15 km from Balasore, at around 1015 hours. A second missile was fired from launch complex number 4 located on Wheeler Island off the Bhadrak district coast in the Bay of Bengal about 60 seconds later. The second missile successfully intercepted the one launched from Chandipur, sources said, adding that all data were being analysed. The interception occurred over the Bay of Bengal, the source said. The entire trajectory of both the missiles, carrying dummy warheads, was tracked by the Defence Research and Development Organisation scientists using different telemetry stations, sophisticated radars and electro-optic telescopes. Confirming the success, a senior scientist at the ITR said: "It is a great success. It is a moment of pride for the people of the entire country". The experiment, which was to be held on Sunday, was deferred till Monday. The project is termed as Prithvi Air Defence Exercise and more such exercises may be undertaken to make it foolproof for the country's defence preparedness. Prithvi-2 is a short range liquid propellant ballistic missile with a maximum range of 250 km with a 500 kg payload. Both nuclear and conventional warheads can be fitted with the sophisticated missile and can be launched from a transporter-erector-launcher vehicle designed to transport the missile along roads and railways. The Chief Controller, Research and Development, DRDO, and programme Director V.Saraswat and Director, Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad, Prahallad were present during the launching of the missiles. Meanwhile, as a safety measure the Balasore district administration had temporarily evacuated about 600 families (2786 persons) living in a 2 km radius of the launch complex number 3 at ITR, Chandipur, before the launch. They were accomodated in two shelters set up for them. Fishermen and trawlers operating along the coastal belt of Balasore and Bhadrak districts had also been asked not to venture into the sea between 0800 hours and 1600 hours. |
| Posted by:john |
| #13 Hey! How come nobody's bitching & moaning about India testing an ABM system like they are the US doing and deploying such? |
| Posted by: FOTSGreg 2006-11-27 19:31 |
| #12 I'd imagine the folks in Beijing are watching, too. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-11-27 18:33 |
| #11 Mr Karnad has a bright future as an ABM system critic if he ever decides to immigrate to the USA. Just hours after a successful ABM interception, on its first try, a pretty impressive achievement by any standards... "In the present technological scenario, physics is against any such missile defence system it would be nonsensical to invest in systems that are not fail-proof. Wanna bet he knows nothing about physics or engineering? |
| Posted by: john 2006-11-27 18:16 |
| #10 K Santhanam, former chief adviser Defence Research and Development Organisation and ex-director general Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, told Hindustan Times: "A great deal of hard work remains to be done before a successful flight trial can be concerted into fieldable system. Many more trials are required and the systems need to be refined before they can be fielded. And all this should happen within a reasonable time frame." The mid-air interception is a breakthrough in terms of experimental validation of the design, said Santhanam, adding that it was a significant milestone in the technology development chain from design, development, testing, validation and later production. "The country has achieved a significant milestone in missile defence system. We have acquired air defence capability against incoming missiles," a defence ministry official said. The optimistic note struck by the Ministry of Defence, however, does not resonate with strategic affairs experts like Bharat Karnad, who is a Research Professor at the Centre For Policy Research. Karnad, a well-known critic of the ballistic missile defence programme, told HT: "In the present technological scenario, physics is against any such missile defence system. Even advanced systems like the Arrow 2, Patriot PAC-3 and S-300 missile defence interceptors have a mere 70 per cent hit probability in controlled conditions. It will be even less in real time." He said missile defence technology would take at least 30 more years to mature and at this stage it would be nonsensical to invest in systems that are not fail-proof. |
| Posted by: john 2006-11-27 18:10 |
| #9 From PTI (Press Trust of India) India today unveiled an indigenous supersonic anti-missile system with defence scientists saying it had the capability to intercept incoming ballistic missiles thousands of miles away. Labelled only as AXO (Atmospheric Intercept System), the supersonic missile underwent its baptism when it successfully intercepted a surface-to-surface Prithvi target missile at an altitude of 40 to 50 km over the seas off the interim test range site in Chandipur in Orissa. "It is a new missile and not part of country's Integrated Guided Missile programme," top DRDO officials said on the condition of anonymity. "We have been working on this anti-missile system for years," scientists said and claimed that missile had its own mobile launcher, secure data link for interception, independent tracking and homing capability and its own radar. "The missile has response time of 30 seconds and once it detects a target it can be launched in 50 seconds," the scientists said. "The missile has high manoeuvrability, terminal homing with radar seekers and can operate independent of ground radar help," they said adding the missile could be co-related to ground and air based radars. The missiles which are 10 to 12 metres long have divert thrusters that can generate high lateral acceleration and can undertake critical mission of air defence too(ALONG WITH Missile Defence), officials said. "the new system has no commonality with the Akash surface-to-air missiles". |
| Posted by: john 2006-11-27 15:37 |
| #8 The nuclear standoff with Pak and India is not MAD (mutually assured destruction), as that is based upon rational participants. With Pak full of nutcases, India needs a missile defense system, just like the US is doing. It will just be a matter of time before Pak implodes or the Jihadis take over. Then the US and / or India will have to secure the Pak nukes, or risk them being lobbed or given to proxies. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2006-11-27 14:08 |
| #7 Thanks for the reporting and analysis, John. Very helpful! |
| Posted by: Steve White 2006-11-27 12:05 |
| #6 I'd like to count Mush the Perv's gray hairs before and after that test. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2006-11-27 10:54 |
| #5 A little misinformation to protect national secrets? Oh, the humanity! Bush lied, journalists died! Oh, this is India? Never mind... |
| Posted by: PBMcL 2006-11-27 09:36 |
| #4 From Rooters BHUBANESWAR (Reuters) - Two nuclear-capable ballistic missiles collided in mid-air off India's eastern coast on Monday in a successful test of an interception programme, a top scientist said. The collision of the two Prithvi-II missiles occurred over the Bay of Bengal. "The two missiles had a flight duration of six minutes before they blew up into a ball of fire over the sea after hitting each other," the defence scientist, who did not want to be identified, told Reuters by phone. "It was successful." The test was done to observe the accuracy and operational effectiveness of short-range Prithvi missiles in providing an air-shield to Indian cities from neighbours Pakistan and China, both of which have arsenals of ballistic missiles. Monday's test was carried out as Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee held informal talks with his Pakistani counterpart, Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri, in New Delhi. On Nov. 19, India successfully test-fired another Prithvi II into the Bay of Bengal. |
| Posted by: john 2006-11-27 06:40 |
| #3 Though, the Navy has successfully conducted missile interceptions over sea using Israeli Barak missiles, this was for the first time defence scientists have successfully carried out interception of a surface to surface missile missile (SSM), which could bring some relief as India actively faces a threat from the presence of nuclear capabile missile in the neighbourhood. The interceptor missile, which was in anti-missile mode, was not not indentified by the DRDO officials who said "the interceptor missile had inertial guidance mid-course and active-seeker guidance in its terminal phase". |
| Posted by: john 2006-11-27 06:22 |
| #2 The Prithvi-2, as a target missile, was first launched from the launch complex No. 3 of the integrated test range (ITR) at Chandipur at around 1015 hours, sources said. A second missile was fired from launch complex No. 4 located in the Wheeler's Island off the Bhadrak district coast in the Bay of Bengal about 60 seconds later to intercept the first, they added. The trajectories of both missiles were programmed to intercept each other in mid-air over the sea. The Wheeler's Island is located about 72 km south of Chandipur. According to sources, the target missile interception time was programmed at 170/175 seconds, while the missile from Wheeler's Island blasted off roughly 60 seconds later with interception time of 110/117 seconds. |
| Posted by: john 2006-11-27 04:56 |
| #1 That second missile wasn't no Prithvi-2. There have been many claimed "Prithvi" tests in the last few years, quite peculiar for what is basically a dead end system. Looks like they were working on an ABM interceptor for the last few years. |
| Posted by: john 2006-11-27 04:53 |