CHANDIPUR: India on Thursday successfully launched indigenously developed Advanced Air Defence (AAD) supersonic interceptor missile from the test range in Odisha.
It is capable of tearing down any incoming ballistic missile.This was the third supersonic interceptor launch conducted this year. In it, an incoming ballistic missile target was successfully captured, within 30 km altitude of the earth's atmosphere by an interceptor.
"It was a direct hit and grand success," Defense officials said after the successful launch.
The earlier two launches were carried out on March 1 and February 11, 2017, as part of put efforts to encompass a full-grown multi-layer Ballistic Missile Defense system.
The target missile a “Prithvi missile” was launched from launch complex 3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur close to here.
Following the receiving signals by tracking radars, the interceptor AAD missile, placed at Abdul Kalam Island which is earlier known as Wheeler Island -- in the Bay of Bengal, called through its flight to wipe out the hostile target missile in mid-air in an endo-atmospheric altitude, defense sources informed.
The interceptor is a 7.5-meter long single stage solid rocket boosted by the guided missile equipped navigation system, a hi-tech computer, and an electro-mechanical activator, the defense sources further informed.
Interceptor missile has following features:
