December 4, 2006 :: AP :: News
India intends to deploy a working missile defense in four years. Speaking at a news conference yesterday, Vijay Kumar Saraswat, head of India’s missile development program, said that India is developing a “newer and faster” version of its Prithvi-2 medium-range ballistic missile. His comments came one week after India conducted its first successful test interception of a ballistic missile, using a Prithvi-2 missile to shoot down another, incoming one. According to Saraswat, the Defense Research and Development Organization plans to add an improved homing device and faster maneuverability to the Prithvi-2, which would allow it to intercept targets at an altitude below 30 kilometers (20 miles). The upgraded version, which will also be able to target aircraft, will be tested within four months, Saraswat said. Six to seven more tests will be needed over the next four years before the system could be deployed. The tests will involve firing five interceptors two seconds apart to guarantee that an incoming missile is destroyed. Saraswat predicted that the system’s success rate would be 99.8 percent. He added that India would be able produce 200 interceptor missiles a year, at a cost of 60 million rupees (US$1.3 million) each. (Article)
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