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India has stepped up efforts to build an interceptor missile that will track the enemy missile and destroy it inside(endo) and outside(exo) of the atmosphere of earth. India has already tested the missile twice and has reached  near completion of the project. It is being said in next few days third test of the missile will be conducted from the Wheeler Island off Orissa’s coast that will track the and destroy the incoming long range enemy missile in the outer atmosphere of the earth at the attitude of around 80-km.

India had conducted the first test of an “exo-atmospheric’ hypersonic interceptor missile in 2006 to destroy the incoming missile at the attitude of 40-50 km. It was a successful test that of the system that can be compared to Israel’s Arrow-2 BMD system. Second test of the system was conducted in December that demonstrated the capability akin to the American PAC-3 system. It was an “endo atmospheric” interceptor missile that tracked and destroyed an incoming missile enemy missile at the attitude of 15 km.

It has been told that DRDO has divided the project in phases. The third test that will be conducted in September-October will be the integrated mode of ‘exo’ and ‘endo’ interceptor missile with of capacity of intercepting the “2,000-km class targets” . It is being considered the Phase-1. DRDO will develop the system that will intercept “5000-km targets”.

DRDO chief controller for missiles, V K Saraswat, had  told TOI that the BMD system of Phase-I should be ready for deployment by 2011 or so, after several tests against a variety of missiles to ensure “a kill probability of 99.8%”. This is a very complex project as far as the variety, speed and range of the missiles is concerned.”It’s like stopping a bullet by hitting it with another bullet. Even the US is still to master it completely,” said a scientist. 

US, Russia and Israel are the only other three countries that have BMD Systems.It will give India an edge over Pakistan and China that have a wide variety of missiles.