New Delhi – India on Monday carried out its first successful test interception of a ballistic missile, using a second missile to destroy the incoming rocket, the Defense Ministry said.
If the interceptor missile – the medium-range and nuclear- capable Prithvi 2 – can be transformed into a viable defense system, it would push India into an elite club of nations with working missile shields.
Such a system would vastly boost India’s defensive capabilities, especially against neighboring Pakistan. The longtime rivals are both nuclear-armed.
The Defense Ministry called the test “a significant milestone.” According to the ministry, the first missile, a modified Prithvi 2 simulating the “adversary’s missile,” was launched from the Chandipore test range about 155 miles north of Bhubaneswar, capital of India’s Orissa state.
The interceptor, also a Prithvi, was fired a minute later from the Wheeler’s Island missile testing center. The island is in the Bay of Bengal, about 105 miles north of Bhubaneswar.
In July, India reported a successful launch of the longer- range Agni 2 nuclear missile for a full day before acknowledging the test failed, with the missile plunging into the sea short of its target.
But this time, Defense Minister A.K. Antony was quick to convey “his heartiest congratulations” to the development team, the statement said.
Until now, the Prithvi had been used only as a surface-to- surface missile.
A successful missile interception would represent a major advance for India, analysts said.
“The technology is hard, and you have to be working for years,” said Robin Hughes, deputy editor of Janes Defense Weekly. “If they have done that in the first test, it is an exceptional advance in technology.” However, the true capabilities could only be known once India revealed more details about the system, he said.
Most of the technology was homegrown and was “validated through this successful mission,” the defense ministry statement said.
The nuclear-capable Prithvi 2 can carry a conventional payload of up to 1,100 pounds and has a range of 155 miles.
