India tests new interceptor missile

Balasore (Orissa)—India Thursday successfully tested a newly developed high-speed interceptor missile over the Bay of Bengal,.
As a part of an Advanced Air Defence (AAD) exercise, a Prithvi missile modified to “mimic” a hostile ballistic missile was fired from Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur-on-sea in Orissa, some 230 km from State capital Bhubaneswar, about 11 a.m, reports IANS.
The new missile was fired from Wheeler Island a little over two minutes later and successfully intercepted the incoming target, destroying it over the Bay of Bengal, the defence sources said. The AAD tested Thursday was a new missile and not a derivative or an update of any existing missile, the sources added. It was specially designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) for this role.
In performance, the AAD is said to be slightly superior to the US PAC-3 (Patriot Advanced Capability) in interception, altitude and range against incoming ballistic missiles, the sources said. On Sunday, defence scientists had conducted a mock trial of the AAD system by using an electronic target fired from the ITR.—Agencies