India has joined a select group of nations after it successfully conducted three consecutive flight-tests as part of its multi-layered defence against long range ballistic missiles and anti-ship capability at medium range, said the Defence Ministry on Saturday.
These tests, which were witnessed by senior defence and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) officials, were carried out on June 10 and 11, and their success will bolster India's defence capabilities, as the country now has multi-layered ballistic missile defence (BMD) capability.
India has also successfully tested its naval anti-ship missile-medium ranger Range (NASM-MR).
As per reports, two of the interceptor missiles that were tested have been classified as Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missiles (IRBMs), having a range of 2,000 to 5,000 kilometres. Though the government has not provided much details regarding them, reports state they are both exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric, which mean they could operate both within and outside of Earth's atmosphere.
India's bid to strengthen its ballistic missile defence, capabilities
Lately, India has focused a lot on bolstering its ballistic missile defence and capabilities. Reportedly, India is working on Agni-6, which will be part of its next generation intercontinental ballistic missiles and would also be able to evade the most advanced defence systems of the world. Reports suggest the Agni-6 will likely have a range of over 5,000 kilometres.
India's focus is on the strengthening its ballistic missile defence and capabilities, Pakistan has been reportedly testing, as reports state that Pakistan has ramped up working on its ballistic missiles programme. As of now, Pakistan has more of short and medium-range ballistic missiles such as Abdali, Ghaznavi, Shaheen and so on.
But the recent tests will help India tackle the emerging and future threat scenarios, reported news agency ANI, pointing that the systems have been indigenous developed.
The importance of DRDO's tests:
- The successful demonstration of the multilayered BMD shield marks a major milestone in India’s strategic defence capabilities.
- It significantly enhances India’s ability to defend against a wide range of missile threats, including future challenges such as hypersonic weapons and MIRV equipped ballistic missiles.
- The achievement reinforces India’s position among the world’s leading nations in advanced missile defence technology.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated the DRDO for these tests. "These tests have put India in elite group of nations having Ballistics Missile Defence Capabilities to engage Ballistic Missiles up to ICBMs," the defence minister said on X (which was previously called Twitter). "Congratulations to DRDO on successfully demonstrating these crucial technologies."
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