Bharat has taken a significant step in defending against long-range nuclear missiles. This marks the second phase of our Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system. According to the Defense Ministry, Bharat has demonstrated its ability to protect itself from enemy missiles with a range of up to 5000 km. For this important test, 10 villages in Odisha were evacuated to ensure the safety of the villagers.
The test began with a target missile, simulating an enemy missile, launched from the Dhamra Missile Complex at 4:20 pm. Within four minutes, the BMD system responded by launching an interceptor missile from Chandipur.
Using advanced land and sea radars, the system detected the target, and the interceptor successfully destroyed it in mid-air. A DRDO official stated, “The interceptor destroyed the target. The flight test met all test objectives, validating the complete network-centric warfare weapon system consisting of long-range sensors, low latency communication systems, and advanced interceptor missiles.”
The BMD system consists of a solid-fuel, two-stage interceptor missile designed to neutralize enemy ballistic missile threats at high altitudes, ranging from the Earth’s surface to low outer-atmospheric regions. This advanced system aims to defend against a variety of missile threats.
To ensure the safety of residents, the DRDO evacuated ten surrounding villages before conducting the test. Approximately 10,581 people were moved to safe locations, including cyclone shelters. The Odisha government was informed in advance of the need to coordinate the evacuation.
The DRDO has completed all tests related to Phase 1 of the BMD system, designed to intercept enemy missiles with a range of up to 2,000 kilometres. In Phase 1, the system aimed to hit targets at altitudes ranging from 15-25 km to 80-100 km, both within (endo) and outside (exo) the Earth’s atmosphere.
Although the Phase-1 system, which features interceptors flying at supersonic speeds (Mach 4.5), has not yet been deployed, it has passed all necessary tests.
Bharat’s BMD system is often compared to Israel’s Iron Dome, which is well-known globally. However, unlike countries such as the US, Russia, China, and Israel, Bharat still has progress to make before deploying an effective BMD system. The BMD program in Bharat has been ongoing since the 1990s, with the first interceptor missile tested in November 2006.
(Featured Image Source: Swarajya Mag)
We need more such advanced missile defense systems to safeguard our country from nuclear missile attacks from very unpredictable neighbors like Pakistan, China, and now Bangladesh!
Bharat should go for developing an Indigenous ‘Hypersonic Missile Defence System’.