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New Delhi: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) crossed a significant hurdle in India’s defence technology programme this week with the successful flight testing of its multi-layered Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system and a new anti-ship missile capability on June 10 and 11.
The trials confirmed that India’s layered defence approach is appropriate to deal with threats from Long-Range Ballistic Missiles, DRDO and the Ministry of Defence said. In the tests, interceptor missiles successfully engaged and destroyed their targets, confirming the system’s effectiveness. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the successful demonstrations have put India in a league of its own to intercept ballistic missile threats till the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) category.
These tests took place over two days and were based on several interceptor systems to achieve multiple layers of protection against missile attacks. This is something that only a few countries have, such as the U.S, Russia, China and Israel. The successful validation is a crucial milestone in India’s efforts to bolster its indigenous missile defence network.
In addition to the missile defence trials, DRDO has also successfully conducted the first flight test of Naval Anti-Ship Missile – Medium range (NASM-MR). The missile demonstrated its anti-ship strike capability at medium range, boosting the Indian Navy’s anti-ship strike capability and bolstering India’s maritime deterrence posture in the Indian Ocean region.
The prominence given to indigenous development is unique and significant. DRDO revealed that they have been designed and developed by applying state-of-the-art indigenous technologies to meet the emerging threats from the sea and missile. The successful demonstrations are a part of India’s efforts in the direction of defence self-reliance and minimizing dependence on imported strategic systems.
The trials also coincide with India’s efforts to invest more in the missile defence, surveillance system and the next generation military technologies. It is believed that if such systems are successfully tested and eventually deployed, it will further bolster India’s strategic deterrence posture and give it a chance to make its defence manufacturing and exports.
The next steps are to continue to validate, produce, and deploy it in service. Flight tests are a major achievement, but long-term success will depend on the integration with the existing military infrastructure and continued technological advances. Despite all this, the recent protests reflect India’s increased capability to create sophisticated defence systems within the country and solidify its status as one of the world’s advanced missile countries.
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