Speculations about a potential missile test by India has been doing the rounds following a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) prohibiting airspace usage in the Bay of Bengal region from July 17 to July 26, 2024.
The “AD Launch Site” in West Bengal and the APJ Abdul Kalam Island launch pad off the coast of Odisha are both included in the approved region.
Because of this, experts surmise that the test include the AD-1 Interceptor missile, a vital part of India’s Phase-II Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) program.
The NOTAM mentions both launch sites, indicating that interceptor and target missile launches could occur from different areas.
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The deployment of two launch sites increases the likelihood of a BMD-related test, even though formal confirmation of the particular missile being tested is still pending. The high-altitude intercept of incoming ballistic missiles is the primary function of the AD-1 Interceptor.
India is actively working to improve its missile defense capabilities at the same time as this development. The goal of the BMD program is to protect the nation from any ballistic missile threats with a multi-layered system.
BMD program boosts India
Ballistic missiles, especially those carrying nuclear weapons, can be tracked and destroyed by the BMD system both inside and outside of the earth’s atmosphere (endo-atmospheric interception and exo-atmospheric interception).
Phases I and II of India’s BMD program are intended to intercept missiles with a maximum range of 3000 kilometers (km), while Phase II is targeted at missiles with a range exceeding 5000 km. India has a two-tiered BMD system under Phase-I, which consists of Ashwin Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptors and the Prithvi Air Defence Vehicle (PAD)/Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV).
Whereas the AAD is intended for endo-atmospheric interception at altitudes of 20–40 km, the PAD/PDV is intended for exo-atmospheric interception at atlitudes of 50–180 km. These two interceptors have passed numerous testing with success.
Following the completion of Phase-I of the BMD program in April 2019, media reports stated that the formal approval for the system’s interceptor missile deployment was anticipated shortly. Phase-I of the BMD program included Delhi and Mumbai, shielding them from approaching ballistic missiles. Two in-country long-range radars were also set up as part of Phase I to track approaching projectiles.
A December 2022 media report had disclosed that construction was underway on a BMD radar facility in Udaipur, in addition to another site in Rajasthan and further installations of this type in Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
These locations were supposed to be home to Swordfish long-range tracking radars, which are an upgraded version of Israel’s Green Pine radar. It was planned to finish the first site in the middle of 2023 and the other sites in 2024. Two missiles, designated AD-1 and AD-2, are being developed under BMD Phase-II. The Phase-II BMD interceptor AD-1 missile’s successful maiden flight test was carried out by the DRDO in November 2022 off the coast of Odisha.
Participating in the flight test were all components of the BMD armament system, which are dispersed across several geographic regions.
