Modi praises scientists for interceptor missile success

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday lauded the Indian scientists for successfully test firing the Ballistic Interceptor Missile and said the “significant, cutting edge capability” was possessed only by a handful of countries.

In his address to the nation through monthly radio broadcast ‘Mann ki Baat’, the PM said: “During its trial, this missile, based on interceptor technology, destroyed an enemy missile at an altitude of about 100 km above the surface of the Earth and thus marked its success.”

The February 11 test showcased the significant advances in the country’s ballistic missile defence (BMD) programme and its ability to defend itself from such missile attacks.

The Prime Minister said the interceptor missile’s core strength was that even if a hostile missile was launched from 2,000 km, “our missile can preemptively destroy it in the space itself”.

“And you will be happy to know that hardly four or five countries in the world possess this capability. India’s scientists have demonstrated this prow- ess,” the PM said.

The US, Russia and Israel are the only other countries with such capability, while China is also working on it. China demonstrated it had acquired building blocks for BMD when Beijing shot down a satellite in 2007.

India has made major strides in developing endo-atmospheric and exo-atmospheric intercept systems to destroy incoming hostile missiles within and outside the atmospheric limits, respectively. The integration of the two systems provides a multi-layered defence against ballistic missiles.

The integrated exo- and endo-atmospheric systems offer a hitto-kill probability of 99.8 per cent. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientists have been working on the programme since 1999.

During its trial, this missile, based on interceptor technology, destroyed an enemy missile at an altitude of about 100km above the surface of the Earth... NARENDRA MODI, Prime Minister