The plan is to deploy the defence shield in New Delhi and soon after in Mumbai

After the recent successful trial of the homegrown interceptor missile at high altitude, India is now planning to deploy by late 2018 the anti-ballistic missile system to protect its metros from hostile aerial attacks.

A senior defence official said, radar sites have been selected to deploy the Phase-I two-tier interceptor defence system to provide an effective missile shield against incoming hostile projectiles both conventional and nuclear around New Delhi in the first phase. The decision to implement the system in other metros and other critical asset locations will be taken this year after a couple of more trials of the system is accomplished in a coordinated manner.

After successful implementation in Delhi, the system will be deployed to cover all other major cities and vital installations in the country. The interceptors can destroy incoming ballistic missiles launched from more than 2,000 km away. The missiles will work in tandem to ensure a hit probability of 99.8 per cent.

The DRDO has two phases of the BMD systems. While the phase-I interceptors are now ready for deployment, the phase-II missiles, capable of thwarting threats from enemy missiles with ranges of 5,000 km, are expected to be ready in next couple of years.

Meanwhile, the DRDO is developing a laser-based BMD system. The new interceptor can travel at the speed of sound and kill incoming missiles in less than one minute. It will have the flexibility to be fired from both airborne and seaborne platforms.

‘’We have already test-fired exo and endo interceptors separately. Preparation is on to test the two simultaneously at different targets before their deployment. Thereafter, we will go for the test of laser-based BMD system,’’ the officer added.

Press Information Bureau