India has demonstrated its ability to intercept ballistic missiles, placing it among a select group of countries with advanced capabilities. The Ministry of Defense conducted three consecutive flight tests to demonstrate defense against long-range ballistic missile threats and an anti-ship capability at medium range.
The tests have put India in the elite group of nations having ballistic missile defense capability to engage up to Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. Analysts say the tested technologies could potentially strengthen India's missile deterrent capabilities as it faces missile threats from its two nuclear-armed neighbors, Pakistan and China.
The trials were conducted by India's Defense Research and Development Organization, which is at the forefront of efforts to build indigenous air defense systems. The technologies demonstrated during the recent trials could support an ambitious project India announced last August to develop a multi-layered air and missile defense network by 2035.
