India on Friday successfully test-fired its indigenously developed interceptor Advanced Air Defence-05 (AAD).
According to defence source, the AAD-05 successfully hit a ballistic missile at a height of 15 km off the coast of Orissa, near Wheelers Island.
“It was a fantastic launch. The trial, conducted from two launch sites of Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Balasore, for developing a full-fledged multi-layer Ballistic Missile Defence system, was fully successful,” ITR director S.P. Dash said.
The “hostile” target missile, a modified surface-to-surface Prithvi, mimicking the ballistic missile, was first lifted from a mobile launcher around 10.10 am from the launch complex-III of ITR at Chandipur. Radars located at deferent locations tracked incoming ballistic missile.
“After three minutes, the interceptor missile, which was completely ready to take off at Wheelers Island, was fired. Guided by the inertial navigation system, the AAD-05 hit the target missile directly and destroyed it in mid-air,” said Mr Dash.