India joins elite missile defence club after successful interceptor, anti-ship missile tests

India’s defence research establishment achieved a major milestone after successfully carrying out three missile flight tests on June 10 and 11, validating critical technologies for ballistic missile defence and anti-ship warfare.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said the back-to-back trials demonstrated India’s growing capability to counter long-range ballistic missile threats and engage hostile naval targets, strengthening the country’s multi-layered defence architecture.

Two interceptor missile tests formed part of DRDO’s Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) programme. The interceptors successfully engaged and destroyed incoming ballistic missile targets, validating technologies designed to neutralise emerging and advanced missile threats.

Top government sources told HT that the tests involved interceptor missiles capable of taking down enemy missiles with ranges between 2,000 km and 5,000 km, categorised as Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missiles (IRBMs). The interceptors—one exo-atmospheric and the other endo-atmospheric—have not been publicly identified by the government. Following the successful trials, the systems are expected to move towards user evaluation and operational testing.

Sources said ballistic missile defence remains a key priority for DRDO amid the development of longer-range missile systems in Pakistan, including the Fateh-I, Fateh-II and the Chinese-origin P282.

DRDO said the successful demonstrations place India among a select group of nations with the capability to defend against ballistic missile attacks, including threats from long-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

In a separate achievement, DRDO conducted the maiden flight test of the Naval Anti-Ship Missile-Medium Range (NASM-MR). The missile successfully demonstrated its ability to engage maritime targets at medium range, providing a significant boost to India’s naval strike capabilities.

The trials were witnessed by senior officials from DRDO and the armed forces. Defence Research and Development Secretary and DRDO Chairman Rajesh Kumar Singh monitored the missions and lauded the efforts of scientists, industry partners and military personnel for executing multiple complex tests within 24 hours.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO on the successful demonstrations, saying the achievement would significantly strengthen India’s defence preparedness and enhance its ability to counter a broad spectrum of aerial and maritime threats.