10 March,2009 09:46 AM IST | | Anshuman G Dutta
India set to develop long-range missile defence shield. Only the US, Russia and Israel have such capability
As the crisis escalates in neighbouring Pakistan, the threat of its strategic arsenal landing in the hands of fundamentalists seems all the more real. But, if all goes well with Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) planned long-range missile shield system, India can sleep in peace.
With the short-range version already tested successfully, the DRDO is aiming at developing shield against missiles with a range of 6,000-7,000 km.
"The phase II of the Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system development will involve capabilities against longer range missiles. Intercepting longer range missiles with 6,000 to 7,000 kilometres too would be part of it," said Dr VK Saraswat, chief controller, Research and Development (R&D), DRDO.
Saraswat also told MiD DAY that the radar and other related equipment are being upgraded for the long-range missile defence system.
"The interceptor missiles move at a speed of more than seven kilometres per second. The present radars will have to be upgraded so that it could detect the incoming missiles," he said.
The DRDO is presently using radars, which can detect missiles moving at 4 to 4.5 Mach. The radars are suitable for detecting short-range missiles and have already proven its capabilities in the last three tests carried out by the DRDO.
On Saturday the defence research behemoth successfully demonstrated its capabilities off the coast of Orissa where a Dhanush ballistic missile fired from a sea carrier was intercepted by Prithvi Air Defence missile.
After the United States of America (USA), Russia and Israel, India is the only country to claim a credible missile defence programme. "The BMD will be ready by 2011 after a series of tests in various environments to prove its mechanism," said Dr Saraswat.
The tests involved firing one missile to intercept a hostile weapon but in a war a salvo of interceptors could be fired to engage the weapon. "Of course a war like situation will see a salvo fired against a hostile missile. The numbers can't be disclosed as it's a matter of national security," he said.
Defence experts also suggested that apart from the very real threat from Pakistan, the long-range missile shield defence system would help in neutralizing the threat from China. Beijing has the capability to hit targets deep inside India.
"We need some kind of deterrent against China's capability and a missile shield against longer range missiles suits the bill. We also should aim to develop our own long-range missiles," said a senior Defence Ministry official, requesting anonymity.
| What the US has |
| The US says its missile defence system is intended to destroy incoming ballistic missiles potentially from North Korea and Iran. This involves using radars in Alaska and California in the US and at Fylingdales in the UK. Another radar is planned for Greenland. Anti-missile missiles, or interceptors, are being based in Alaska (40 of them) and California (four). There would also be 130 interceptors based on ships. The interceptors work by physically hitting the ballistic missile in mid-flight. There would also be missiles to destroy incoming rockets. However, the US plans to install 10 more interceptors in Silos in Poland, and build a radar station in the Czech Republic. It hopes that construction of the Czech facilityu00a0using a radar currently located at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islandsu00a0could begin next year, with the first interceptors in place in Poland by 2011 and the system fully operational by 2012. |
| Ballistic gyan |
| An intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, is a long-range (greater than 5,500 km or 3,500 miles) ballistic missile typically designed for nuclear weapon delivery, that is, delivering one or more nuclear warheads. Due to their great range and firepower, in an all-out nuclear war, submarine and land-based ICBMs would carry most of the destructive force. There are various types of ICBMs, each varying in range: intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs), medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs), short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs), and the newly-named theatre ballistic missile. Categorising missiles by their range is necessarily subjective and the boundaries are chosen somewhat arbitrarily. |
