India successfully test fires local-made AAD Interceptor Missile.

According to the Hindustantime website, on December 28, 2017, India has test-fired its new local-made Advanced Air Defense (AAD)/Ashvin Advanced Defense interceptor missile on Abdul Kalam Island. The Advanced Air Defence (AAD) is an anti-ballistic missile designed to intercept incoming ballistic missiles in the earth’s atmosphere at an altitude of 30 km.

Firing test of Indian-made Ashvin Advanced Defense interceptor missile (Picture source Internet)

On 28th Dec 2017, DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) of India successfully carried out AAD missile test in which an incoming modified Prithvi ballistic missile was intercepted and destroyed with a direct hit.

This was the third supersonic interceptor test carried out in 2017. Other tests were conducted on March 1 and February 11. The last successful AAD interception test took place in May 2016.

The AAD is a single-stage, solid-fuelled missile. Guidance is similar to that of PAD: it has an inertial navigation system, midcourse updates from ground based radar and active radar homing in the terminal phase. It is 7.5 m tall, weighs around 1.2 t and a diameter of less than 0.5 m.

The interceptor missile has its own mobile launcher, secure data link for interception, independent tracking and homing capabilities and sophisticated radars.