Indian Ballistic Missile Defense System

[Triton]

India sucessfully tests Interceptor missile

Balasore: India on Friday successfully conducted the test of an interceptor missile to establish a ballistic missile defence (BMD) shield as part of the network-centric warfare.

The test was carried out from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) from the Wheeler Island near Dhamra off Orissa coast.

ITR sources said the modified version of ''Dhanush'' missile, known as naval version of Prithvi, a surface-to-surface missile acting as an enemy missile was test fired from a naval ship INS Rajput anchored inside the Bay of Bengal at 1620 hours.

When it zeroed in on the wheeler island of Dhamara coast, a Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) missile, a ballistic missile with a range of 1,500 km, similar to Pakistan's Ghauri, test fired from the Wheeler Island intercepted the incoming missile at an altitude of 70-80 kms.

DRDO sources said the ''crucial test'' conducted for the third time proved the efficacy of a host of new technologies. The interceptor PAD missile has for the first time used the gimballed directional warhead which has so far been used only in the United States and Russia.

The first interceptor missile test was conducted on November 27, 2006 and waylaid an incoming ballistic missile in the exo-atmosphere at 48-km altitude.

The second test was carried out on December 6, 2007 against a target missile at 15-km altitude in endo-atmosphere, intercepting the ''enemy'' missile at an altitude of 70-80 km.

The ground tests of the missile have been done on the directional warhead but it was for the first time the test was done on flight.

Sources said intercepting a missile at a higher altitude of 80 km has the advantage as the debris will take longer to fall through the atmosphere before it hits the ground.

In a typical war scenario, this would reduce the effect of any fallout of nuclear debris and the risk associated with radiation.

The third test, sources said would be part of India's plan to deploy a two-layered ballistic missile defence (BMD) system in the coming years.

 

[ZOOM]

Timesnow claiming that it has a range of 1500 km, how true is that?:sCh_coplight:

 

[LETHALFORCE]

Great news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[A.V.]

ITS a greatnews after the brahmos test a day back all the reports are claiming a range of 1500 for the PAD which is great also the most important thing in use is the directional warhead which makes the missile to target a 360 angle and also hit the finest among a number of them,this capability is only demonstrated by the us and russia so this is a great achievement.
the brahmos tested a day ago also had directional warheld so it could choose and hit among a cluster of targets.

this past week has being a great step forward for indian defence
cheers.

 

[Rage]

India sucessfully tests Interceptor missile

I'll drink to that!! :friends:

More on the gimbaled directional system being employed in the interceptor, including the specific advantages and disadvantages of multiple and single gimbal omnidirectional navigation systems, excerpted from the following patent application for a conventional fragmentation warhead fuze seeker:

[...]

Most proximity fuze systems have heretofore relied solely on detonation of an omnidirectionalwarhead when the target is detected within the range of the warhead blast pattern to produce a kill. While this has proved entirely satisfactory in the past, the increased speeds of potential targets make the probability of a kill less than is nowdesired for adequate tactical defense. These increased speeds have produced two critical problems in design. First, since the encounter time of the interceptor missile with its intended target is greatly reduced, the fuze must be more sensitive thanbefore. Second, the closest approach distance between the interceptor missile and the target is usually greater than with slow moving targets necessitating warheads with far larger blast patterns. Considerable attention has been devoted to the first ofthese problems with the result that many highly sensitive proximity fuze detectors have been developed. The second problem, however, has received only a modicum amount of research effort. It is also further complicated by the requirement that thewarhead of a tactical weapon be "conventional" or non-nuclear. Obviously, there is a practical limit to the size of the fragmentation blast pattern than can be realized from a non-nuclear warhead. Recently, warheads have been developed which havehighly directional fragmentation blast patterns. The motivation for this development work was the recognition that omnidirectional warheads are necessarily highly inefficient and that the range of the blast could be greatly increased if all the energiesof the explosion are made to act in substantially the same direction. It has been proposed that an interceptor missile deployed against a potential air-supported target could be made more effective if it employed such a directional blast fragmentationwarhead. This scheme requires that some means be provided whereby the axis of the fragmentation blast pattern of the warhead is aligned with the line-of-sight from the interceptor missile to the target. One attempt to provide an armament system for amissile using a directional blast warhead mounts the warhead in a gimbaled system in the nose of the missile. Ahead of the warhead in another gimbaled system is a fuze seeker system which provides pointing information and the time to fire. Thissolution, while having many appealing features, suffers several serious drawbacks which makes it somewhat unpractical in an operational weapons system. First of all, it is necessary to remove the fuze seeker system prior to firing so that it will notinterfere with the blast pattern of the warhead. In addition, the servo lag between the seeker position and the warhead position introduces an uncertain error. There is also a low-reliability factor associated with multi-gimbaled systems. Finally,multi-gimbaled systems are expensive, bulky and heavy.

It is therefore an object of the instant invention to provide a fragmentation warhead fuze seeker system having improved system performance and increased reliability.

It is another object of this invention to provide a fuze system for a non-nuclear directional blast warhead which is simpler to manufacture and more compact in construction than heretofore proposed fuze seeker systems.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved fuze seeker system for medium range interceptor missiles and rockets that does not require removal or jettisoning prior to firing the warhead.

According to the present invention, these and other objects are accomplished by providing within an interceptor missile a single gimbaled system which supports and positions a directional blast warhead. The antenna for the fuze seeker isfabricated of a metallic-plated, low-density plastic foam and mounted on the front face of the warhead. The local oscillator and other accessories which are part of the gimbaled seeker system are mounted on the back of the warhead.

The specificnature of the invention, as well as other objects, uses and advantages thereof, will clearly appear from the following description and from the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view, partially broken away, of the nose of an intermediate interceptor missile showing the fuze seeker system and the warhead mounted in separate gimbaled systems.

FIG. 2 is a similar view to that of FIG. 1 showing the fuze seeker system and warhead mounted in a single gimbaled system according to the invention .

Refering now to the drawing, and more particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown a nosesection 11 of an interceptor missile which employs a fuze seeker system for a directional fragmentation warhead. The warhead 12 is supported and positioned by a gimbaled system 13 within the nose section 11. Also within the nose section 11 and forwardof the warhead 12 is a fuze seeker system 14 which is mounted in a gimbaled system 15. The fuze seeker system includes a planar, slotted wareguide antenna 16 the back surface of which serves as a rigid supporting plate for the various components 17, 18of the fuze seeker system such as the local oscillator, detonator circuit, and servo amplifiers. The fuze seeker system 14 may be any well known design. It is merely necessary that the fuze seeker system drive the gimbaled system 15 to position antenna16 to receive the maximum reflected signal from the target. The gimbaled system 13 is slaved to the gimbaled system 15 thereby causing the fragmentation axis of warhead 12 to be substantially aligned with the axis of the main lobe of antenna 16 as thefuze seeker 14 tracks the target. There are two sources of directional error inherent in the slaved system depicted. The first is a parallax error since the axes of the warhead 12 and the fuze seeker system 14 are not aligned but in one direction. This, however, is easy to correct for any given distance to the target as determined by the detonator circuit. For example, a fixed parallax correction may be incorporated into the servo drive of the gimbaled system 13, the parallax correction beingcorrect for the desired distance to the target at the time the warhead 12 is fired. The second source of error results from the servo lag between the slaved gimbaled system 13 and gimbaled system 15. This is a complex error resulting from a number ofvariables including slewing speed and position sensing error of the servo systems. As a result, it is difficult at best to even partially compensate for this source of error. Perhaps the greatest problem with the fuze seeker system shown in FIG. 1 isthe need to remove the fuze seeker 14 and its gimbaled system 15 prior to firing the warhead 12. This is necessary to prevent the solid mass of the various components such as the waveguide structures, servo motors, etc. associated with the fuze seekerassembly from obstructing the blast and thereby adversely affecting the blast pattern of the warhead. While this may be accomplished by jettisoning the forward portion of the missile nose containing the fuze seeker assembly just prior to detonation, theresulting missile system is both complex and costly.

The improvement according to this invention obviates these various disadvantages and at the same time greatly increases the reliability of the missile armament system by eliminating one of the gimbaled systems. The way in which this isaccomplished is shown in FIG. 2. A directional fragment action warhead 22 is supported and positioned within the missile nose section 21 by a gimbaled system 23 as before. Mounted on the face of warhead 22 is a planar, slotted waveguide antenna 26. Antenna 26, however, is not of conventional design but rather is a special waveguide structure having sufficiently low density that it will not degrade the functional performance of warhead 22 if left in place when the warhead is fired. A brief description is included here in order that the significance of the present invention may be more completely appreciated. A section of low-density plastic foam, such as foam polyurethane, is machined so that its external dimensions duplicate the internaldimensions of the conventional slotted wareguide antenna 16 in FIG. 1. The positions of the antenna radiating slots are masked on the machined foam polyurethane section, and then the foam polyurethane section is copper plated. Removal of the slot masksyields an antenna with approximately the same physical dimensions and the same electrical characteristics as the conventional waveguide antenna which it replaces. Continuing now and with reference again to FIG. 2, the other components 27, 28 of thesystem are mounted on the aft face of the warhead 22 and completely out of the way of the blast. It should be obvious that the invention increases the reliability of the missile armament system because one gimbaled system and its associated servosystems have been eliminated. Over-all system is also improved because the servo lag between the seeker position and the warhead position is eliminated as a source of error. Further the removal of the seeker head prior to warhead function is no longerrequired. The resulting armament system is lighter in weight and more compact in construction thus allowing a shorter missile design.

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/4157685/description.html

Illustrations 1 & 2 here:

http://img509.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gimbaleddirectionalwarh.jpg

 

[Rage]

On the Gimbal pointing vector stabilization control system and method:

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is related in general to the field of control systems. More particularly, the invention is related to a gimbal pointing vector stabilization control system and method.


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Stabilization is the function of holding steady the line-of-sight vector of a gimbaled sensor system subject to the motion of the vehicle to which the sensor base is attached. The line-of-sight vector or the pointing vector is the imaginary line from the aperture center of the gimbaled sensor to the target of interest. As the vehicle base of the gimbal moves or rotates, the gimbal must move equal and opposite as the body in order to remain pointing at the target. The problem is complicated by the fact that often it is impossible to mount a sensing device on the gimbal itself to measure the effects of vehicle base motion.

Feedback control is a technique that has been utilized extensively in pointing vector stabilization systems. Feedback control involves the measurement of a desired plant state with a sensor, and the comparison of this measured state with the desired command. Any plant input is driven by the error between the commanded state and the actual measured state. Feedback stabilization systems use sensing elements mounted directly to the gimbal to sense the effects of vehicle base motion. Feedforward stabilization is used when such sensors cannot be mounted to the gimbal.

Current approaches to feedforward stabilization include what is known as position feedforward and rate feedforward. Position feedforward techniques determine the angle that the body has rotated and attempts to move the gimbal an equal and opposite amount. Rate feedforward techniques determine the speed that the body is spinning and attempts to move the gimbal at an equal and opposite speed.

There are many error sources and difficult challenges that must be overcome when using these known methods. For example, some type of measuring device must be available to detect the angle that the gimbal is at and/or the speed at which it is turning. Likewise, a measuring device such as a gyroscope is mounted on the vehicle base to detect its motion. These measuring devices inevitably have scale factor errors, biases, and latencies associated with them that deteriorates the performance of the gimbal stabilization.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, there is a need for an accurate gimbal stabilization control system and method which eliminates or substantially reduce the disadvantages associated with prior control systems.

In one aspect of the invention, a hybrid stabilization system for isolating a pointing vector of a gimbal from the motion of a vehicle base is provided. The hybrid stabilization control system includes a rate feedback loop generating a rate feedback compensation value in response to a measured rate difference between a pointing vector rate of motion and a vehicle base rate of motion, a rate feedforward loop generating a rate feedforward compensation value in response to a measured inertial vehicle base rate of motion, a position feedback loop generating a position feedback compensation value in response to a measured position difference between a pointing vector angular position and a vehicle base angular position, a position feedforward loop generating a position feedforward compensation value in response to a measured inertial vehicle base angular position. A controller receives a pointing vector position command and generates a gimbal control signal in response to the rate feedback compensation value, rate feedforward compensation value, position feedback compensation value, and position feedforward compensation value.

In another aspect of the invention, a hybrid stabilization system for isolating a pointing vector of a gimbal from the motion of a measurable disturbance is provided. The system includes a relative rate sensor measuring a rate difference between a pointing vector rate of motion and a disturbance rate of motion, and a rate feedback loop generating a rate feedback compensation value in response to the rate difference. An inertial rate sensor measuring an inertial disturbance rate of motion, and a rate feedforward loop generating a rate feedforward compensation value in response to the inertial disturbance rate are also included. The system further includes a relative angular position sensor measuring a position difference between a pointing vector angular position and a disturbance angular position, and a position feedback loop generating a position feedback compensation value in response to the position difference. An inertial angular position sensor measuring an inertial disturbance angular position and a position feedforward loop generating a position feedforward compensation value in response to the inertial disturbance angular position are included. The system also includes a controller receiving a pointing vector position command and generating a gimbal control signal in response to the rate feedback compensation value, rate feedforward compensation value, position feedback compensation value, and position feedforward compensation value.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a hybrid stabilization method for isolating a pointing vector of a gimbal from the motion of a vehicle base includes the steps of generating a rate feedback compensation value in response to a measured rate difference between a pointing vector rate of motion and a vehicle base rate of motion, generating a rate feedforward compensation value in response to a measured inertial vehicle base rate of motion, generating a position feedback compensation value in response to a measured position difference between a pointing vector angular position and a vehicle base angular position, generating a position feedforward compensation value in response to a measured inertial vehicle angular position, and receiving a pointing vector position command and generating a gimbal control signal in response to the rate feedback compensation value, rate feedforward compensation value, position feedback compensation value, and position feedforward compensation value.

In yet another aspect of the invention, the inventive steps of a hybrid stabilization method for isolating a pointing vector of a gimbal from the motion of a vehicle base include measuring a rate difference between a pointing vector rate of motion and a vehicle base rate of motion, generating a rate feedback compensation value in response to the rate difference, measuring an inertial vehicle base rate of motion, generating a rate feedforward compensation value in response to the inertial vehicle base rate, measuring a position difference between a pointing vector angular position and a vehicle base angular position, generating a position feedback compensation value in response to the position difference, measuring an inertial vehicle base angular position, generating a position feedforward compensation value in response to the inertial vehicle angular position, and receiving a pointing vector position command and generating a gimbal control signal in response to the rate feedback compensation value, rate feedforward compensation value, position feedback compensation value, and position feedforward compensation value.

[..]

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6609037.html

 

[Rage]

What is claimed:

1. A hybrid stabilization system for isolating a pointing vector of a gimbal from the motion of a vehicle base, comprising: a rate feedback loop generating a rate feedback compensation value in response to a measured rate difference between a pointing vector rate of motion and a vehicle base rate of motion; a rate feedforward loop generating a rate feedforward compensation value in response to a measured inertial vehicle base rate of motion; a position feedback loop generating a position feedback compensation value in response to a measured position difference between a pointing vector angular position and a vehicle base angular position; a position feedforward loop generating a position feedforward compensation value in response to a measured inertial vehicle base angular position; and a controller receiving a pointing vector position command and generating a gimbal control signal in response to the rate feedback compensation value, rate feedforward compensation value, position feedback compensation value, and position feedforward compensation value.

2. The hybrid stabilization system, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a relative rate sensor measuring the rate differences between a pointing vector rate of motion and a vehicle base rate of motion along azimuth and elevation axes.

3. The hybrid stabilization system, as set forth in claim 2, wherein the relative rate sensor includes a tachometer.

4. The hybrid stabilization system, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising an inertial rate sensor measuring the inertial vehicle base rate of motion along azimuth and elevation axes.

5. The hybrid stabilization system, as set forth in claim 4, wherein the inertial rate sensor includes a gyroscope triad mounted on the vehicle base.

6. The hybrid stabilization system, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a relative angular position sensor measuring the position difference between each gimbal axis and its base.

7. The hybrid stabilization system, as set forth in claim 6, wherein the relative angular position sensor includes a resolver.

8. The hybrid stabilization system, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising an inertial angular position sensor measuring the inertial vehicle base angular position along pitch, yaw and roll axes.

9. The hybrid stabilization system, as set forth in claim 8, wherein the inertial angular position sensor includes an inertial angular displacement sensor triad.

10. The hybrid stabilization system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a position loop controller receiving the pointing vector position command and generating a pointing vector rate command in response to the position feedback compensation value and the position feedforward compensation value.

11. The hybrid stabilization system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a rate loop controller receiving the pointing vector rate command and generating a gimbal control signal (torque) in response to the rate feedback compensation value and the rate feedforward compensation value.

12. A hybrid stabilization system for isolating a pointing vector of a gimbal from the motion of a measurable disturbance, comprising: a relative rate sensor measuring a rate difference between a pointing vector rate of motion and a disturbance rate of motion; a rate feedback loop generating a rate feedback compensation value in response to the rate difference; an inertial rate sensor measuring an inertial disturbance rate of motion; a rate feedforward loop generating a rate feedforward compensation value in response to the inertial disturbance rate; a relative angular position sensor measuring a position difference between a pointing vector angular position and a disturbance angular position; a position feedback loop generating a position feedback compensation value in response to the position difference; an inertial angular position sensor measuring an inertial disturbance angular position; a position feedforward loop generating a position feedforward compensation value in response to the inertial disturbance angular position; and a controller receiving a pointing vector position command and generating a gimbal control signal in response to the rate feedback compensation value, rate feedforward compensation value, position feedback compensation value, and position feedforward compensation value.

13. The hybrid stabilization system, as set forth in claim 12, wherein the sensor measurements provide rate and position measurements in three dimensions, and the rate and position feedback and feedforward loops generate compensation values for three dimensions.

14. The hybrid stabilization system, as set forth in claim 12, wherein the inertial and relative rate sensors measure rates of motion along azimuth and elevation axes.

15. The hybrid stabilization system, as set forth in claim 12, wherein the inertial and relative angular position sensors measure angular positions about appropriate vehicle and gimbal axes.

16. The hybrid stabilization system, as set forth in claim 12, wherein the controller comprises a position loop controller receiving the pointing vector position command and generating a pointing vector rate command in response to the position feedback compensation value and the position feedforward compensation value.

17. The hybrid stabilization system, as set forth in claim 16, wherein the controller comprises a rate loop controller receiving the pointing vector rate command and generating a gimbal control signal (torque) in response to the rate feedback compensation value and the rate feedforward compensation value.

18. The hybrid stabilization system, as set forth in claim 12, wherein the relative rate sensor includes a tachometer.

19. The hybrid stabilization system, as set forth in claim 12, wherein the inertial rate sensor includes a gyroscope triad measuring the inertial rate of the disturbance.

20. The hybrid stabilization system, as set forth in claim 12, wherein the relative angular position sensor includes a resolver.

21. The hybrid stabilization system, as set forth in claim 12, wherein the inertial angular position sensor includes an inertial angular displacement sensor triad.

22. A hybrid stabilization method for isolating a pointing vector of a gimbal from the motion of a vehicle base, comprising: generating a rate feedback compensation value in response to a measured rate difference between a pointing vector rate of motion and a vehicle base rate of motion; generating a rate feedforward compensation value in response to a measured inertial vehicle base rate of motion; generating a position feedback compensation value in response to a measured position difference between a pointing vector angular position and a vehicle base angular position; generating a position feedforward compensation value in response to a measured inertial vehicle angular position; and receiving a pointing vector position command and generating a gimbal control signal in response to the rate feedback compensation value, rate feedforward compensation value, position feedback compensation value, and position feedforward compensation value.

23. The hybrid stabilization method, as set forth in claim 22, further comprising measuring the rate differences between a pointing vector rate of motion and a vehicle base rate of motion along azimuth and elevation axes.

24. The hybrid stabilization method, as set forth in claim 22, further comprising measuring the inertial vehicle base rate of motion along azimuth and elevation axes.

25. The hybrid stabilization method, as set forth in claim 22, further comprising measuring the position difference between a pointing vector angular position and a vehicle base angular position.

26. The hybrid stabilization method, as set forth in claim 22, further comprising measuring the inertial vehicle base angular position in three dimensions.

27. The hybrid stabilization method, as set forth in claim 22, further comprising generating a pointing vector rate command in response to the position feedback compensation value and the position feedforward compensation value.

28. The hybrid stabilization method, as set forth in claim 22, further comprising generating a gimbal control signal in response to the rate feedback compensation value and the rate feedforward compensation value.

[...]

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6609037.html

 

[Rage]

[...]

29. A hybrid stabilization method for isolating a pointing vector of a gimbal from the motion of a vehicle base, comprising: measuring a rate difference between a pointing vector rate of motion and a vehicle base rate of motion; generating a rate feedback compensation value in response to the rate difference; measuring an inertial vehicle base rate of motion; generating a rate feedforward compensation value in response to the inertial vehicle base rate; measuring a position difference between a pointing vector angular position and a vehicle base angular position; generating a position feedback compensation value in response to the position difference; measuring an inertial vehicle base angular position; generating a position feedforward compensation value in response to the inertial vehicle angular position; and receiving a pointing vector position command and generating a gimbal control signal in response to the rate feedback compensation value, rate feedforward compensation value, position feedback compensation value, and position feedforward compensation value.

30. The hybrid stabilization method, as set forth in claim 29, wherein the sensor measuring comprises measuring rate and position measurements in three dimensions, and rate and position feedback and feedforward generating comprises generating compensation values for three dimensions.

31. The hybrid stabilization method, as set forth in claim 29, wherein inertial and relative rate measuring comprises measuring rates of motion along azimuth and elevation axes.

32. The hybrid stabilization method, as set forth in claim 29, wherein inertial and relative angular position measuring comprises measuring pitch, yaw, and roll angular positions.

33. The hybrid stabilization method, as set forth in claim 29, further comprising generating a pointing vector rate command in response to the position feedback compensation value and the position feedforward compensation value.

34. The hybrid stabilization method, as set forth in claim 33, further comprising generating a gimbal control signal in response to the rate feedback compensation value and the rate feedforward compensation value.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6609037.html

Illustrations here:

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6609037-0-large.jpg

 

[Rage]

And a couple more news reports with a few additional details on the breakthrough test:

Officials: India Missile Intercept Test Succeeds

By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 6 Mar 10:16 EST (15:16 GMT)


BHUBANESWAR, India - India staged a missile intercept test March 6 as part of a plan to build a defense system against incoming ballistic missiles by 2010, officials said.

Military engineers said the test was a success, as a "hostile" missile was destroyed in mid-air over the Bay of Bengal off India's eastern Orissa state.

The test was the third successful trial since 2007 of an air defense system capable of detecting, intercepting and destroying medium- and long-range ballistic missiles, officials said in the Orissa capital of Bhubaneswar.

The shield will be capable of high-speed interceptions of missiles launched 5,000 kilometers (3,000 miles) away, they added.

On March 4, India also test-fired a supersonic cruise missile it has jointly developed with Russia since 2001. The latest test near rival Pakistan's borders involved a modified BrahMos with a range of 290 kilometers (180 miles).

The Indian army has already acquired the missile, which carries conventional warheads but can be fired from mobile launchers.

India, which has also built an array of nuclear-capable missiles, hopes to test-fire an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) before the end of next year. The Agni-V will have an ICBM range in excess of 5,000 kilometers.

The shorter range Agni-I and Agni-II ballistic missiles are being introduced into India's arsenal, although they are not fully operational.

An Agni-III, with a 1.5-ton payload capacity and a range of 3,500 kilometers - enabling it to strike targets deep inside China - has been tested successfully three times.

India has fought three wars with Pakistan and one with China since independence from British rule in 1947.

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=3977723&c=AIR&s=TOP

India tests missile defence system successfully

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 at 20:04 IST

Balasore (Orissa), Mar 6 : Ramping up its efforts to operationalise an indigenous Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) shield, India today successfully tested the 'Prithvi' Air Defence (PAD) missile for the third time in just over two years.

"It is a hat trick," exclaimed DRDO Chief Controller Research and Development (Missile and Strategic Systems) Dr V K Saraswat, seconds after the PAD hit the incoming target missile during the tests in the Bay of Bengal off Orissa coast.

The interceptor PAD missile, which was launched from a mobile launcher placed in the Wheeler Island's Integrated Test Range, destroyed the target missile -- surface-to-surface 'Dhanush' in this case -- at an altitude of 75-km in the sky, Defence Ministry spokesperson Sitanshu Kar, who witnessed the test through a video conferencing facility at the DRDO headquarters in New Delhi, said.

The modified 'Dhanush', posing as "enemy" missile with a simulated range of about 1100 km and guided by an inertial navigation system, was first fired by Navy warship INS Shubadhra, anchored about 70 nautical miles from Dhamra in the Orissa coast, at around 4.20 pm.

Just two minutes later, the BMD system's radars picked up the signal of the "enemy" missile and 40 seconds later the PAD missile was fired to destroy the incoming missile.

http://www.samaylive.com/news/india-tests-missile-defence-system-successfully/612519.html

 

[LETHALFORCE]

Indian BMD test success, third time in a row

http://frontierindia.net/indian-bmd-test-sucess-third-time-in-a-row


Indian BMD test success, third time in a row

Written on March 6, 2009 – 4:40 pm | by Frontier India Strategic and Defence |

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has flight tested a Ballistic Missile Interceptor for the third time on 06 March 2009 at 1624 hrs from Wheeler Island, Integrated Test Range (ITR) successfully achieving the mission objectives set. The two stage Interceptor Missile fitted with advanced systems has neutralized the target, enemy missile at 75 Kms altitude.

To mimic the incoming enemy’s ballistic missile trajectory Dhanush missile went to an altitude of 120 Km and was launched from ship about 100 km away from Coast. The Interceptor missile was launched using mobile launcher located on Wheeler Island Launch Complex.

This is the second test flight of the Exo atmospheric Kill Vehicle called PAD. This was a direct hit.

The third consecutive interception of Ballistic Missiles once again demonstrated the robustness of the Indian BMD system. DRDO in past has conducted two interception trials, first in Exo-atmospheric region at 48 Kms altitude on 27th November 06 and second in endo-atmospheric region at 15 kms using AAD missile on 06 Dec 07.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

'BMD shield will be ready for deployment in 3 to 4 years time'

http://www.zeenews.com/nation/2009-03-06/513107news.html .

'BMD shield will be ready for deployment in 3 to 4 years time'

New Delhi, March 06: After the "hat-trick" of successful trials in its effort to operationalise an indigenous Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) shield, the DRDO on Friday said the system would be ready for deployment in the next three to four years.

"It will take us one or two more trials before our system is ready to be offered for deployment," DRDO Chief Controller and Distinguished Scientist W Selvamurthy told a news agency here.

"Our last three tests have been quite successful. In the next trials, we will do a combined test of both the endo-atmospheric and exo-atmospheric test," he said.

India today successfully tested the 'Prithvi' Air Defence (PAD) missile for the third time in just over two years. The interceptor PAD missile, launched from a mobile launcher placed in the Wheeler Island's Integrated Test Range off Orissa coast, destroyed the target missile- surface-to-surface 'Dhanush' in this case- at an altitude of 75-km in the sky.

"This combined test will help us assess the joint functioning of the two-tiered BMD shield that is being developed," Selvamurthy said.

DRDO's BMD programme is a two-tier system consisting of two interceptor missiles, namely PAD missile for high altitude interception at altitudes between 50-80 Km, and the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile for lower altitude interceptions between 15-30 Kms.

The DRDO had earlier successfully tested the BMD system in November 2006 outside the atmosphere mode at 48-km altitude and in December 2007 inside atmosphere at 15-km altitude.

Along with the interceptor missiles, DRDO has also developed the surveillance systems for the shield. The ground-based surveillance and tracking systems along with the command, control and communication systems, can be operated successfully in highly-dense electronic warfare environment.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

Desi Star Wars test hurtles India into select club

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20090086054&ch=36200983300PM


Desi Star Wars test hurtles India into select club
NDTV Correspondent
Friday, March 06, 2009, (Bhubaneswar)
India on Friday successfully tested its ballistic missile defence system for the third consecutive time.

The test was very much similar to hitting a bullet with another bullet, which was almost 75 kilometres away -- very similar to Star Wars. The air defence system was tested on the Orissa coast.

A Dhanush missile, was intercepted using a special high-speed missile. The DRDO claims it was a direct hit.

Only a handful of countries have this technology, which includes USA, Israel, Russia and now India.

PTI adds:

DRDO's indigenous Ballistic Missile Defence programme (BMD) is a two-tier system consisting of two interceptor missiles, namely PAD missile for high altitude interception, and the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile for lower altitude interception.

DRDO officials said the PAD has been modified into a light and more lethal missile as its warhead's weight has been cut down to below 30 kg and it's lethality would be of a 150-kg warhead, officials informed.

 

[pyromaniac]

India successfully tests indigenous interceptor missile

New Delhi, March 06: India on Friday successfully tested an indigenous interceptor missile that destroyed an incoming "enemy" ballistic missile at an altitude of 80 km, an official said.

The test was a key element in the efforts of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to put in place a missile defence shield to protect populated areas and vital installations like nuclear power plants.

The interceptor was fired from Wheeler Island off the Orissa coast at 4.24 p.m.

"To mimic the incoming missile's trajectory, a Dhanush missile was launched from a ship about 100 km from the coast. It rose to a height of 120 km and as it began its downward trajectory, the interceptor was launched and successfully achieved a kill," the DRDO official said in New Delhi.

"The test marks the completion of the first phase of the programme and it will secure operational clearance by 2012-13," the official added.

With three successful trials conducted, DRDO, after analysing data from the latest firing, might conduct one more test before certifying the system as ready for deployment. Thereafter, the armed forces will put it through a series of trials before the missile defence shield is put in place.

M. Natarajan, the scientific adviser to the defence minister, programme director V.K. Saraswat, and armed forces and government officials witnessed Friday's test.

The first test of the interceptor was conducted in 2006.

On Dec 6, 2007, DRDO had for the second time successfully tested an endo-atmospheric - below 30 km altitude - version of the ballistic missile defence shield, which will have highly sensitive radars to track incoming missiles. The guidance system would ensure that the interceptor collides with the incoming missile within a matter of seconds, thereby saving vital targets from destruction.

Baptised as the Prithvi Air Defence system, the agile interceptor has now been renamed 'Pradyumna'.

DRDO says its missile system is comparable to the Israeli Arrow system and the American Patriot system, both of whose manufacturers are courting the Indian defence establishment for possible orders.

DRDO expects the ballistic missile shield to take care of threats from existing Chinese and Pakistani missiles. While Pakistan possesses missiles with ranges between 400 and 2,000 km, the Chinese arsenal varies from a range of 300 km to 2,800 km.

http://www.zeenews.com/nation/2009-03-07/512897news.html

 

[Supersallu]

Nirbhay is a cruise missile being developed by India.

It can carry a huge variety of warheads and will have a range of 1000 km+.

 

[A.V.]

2009-03-07 05:23:57 - "It is a hat trick," exclaimed DRDO Chief Controller Research and Development (Missile and Strategic Systems) Dr V K Saraswat, seconds after the PAD hit the incoming target missile during the tests in the Bay of Bengal off Orissa coast.India has joined the elite club of nations having the latest indigenous Ballistic Missile Defence Sheild with its third successful test of the Prithvi Air Defence missile:Medium-range ballistic missile range is between 1000 and 3500 km

Integrated Test Range at Wheeler Island near Dhamra off Orissa coast a modifeid ''Dhanush'' or the naval version of Prithvi, was test fired from a naval ship INS Rajput anchored inside the Bay of Bengal on Friday at four in the evening.

When it zeroed in on wheeler island of Dhamara coast, a Prithvi Air Defence missile, with a range



of 1,500 km to establish a ballistic missile defence shield as part of network-centric warfare. It successfully destroyed the surface-to-surface target missile - 'Dhanush' at an altitude of 75-kms in the sky.

India on Friday in presence of DRDO officer successfully test fired an interceptor missile to establish a ballistic missile defence shield.

The interceptor PAD missile, which was launched from a mobile launcher placed in the Wheeler Island's Integrated Test Range, destroyed the target missile -- surface-to-surface 'Dhanush' in this case -- at an altitude of 75-km in the sky, Defence Ministry spokesperson Sitanshu Kar, who witnessed the test through a video conferencing facility at the DRDO headquarters in New Delhi, said.
The modified 'Dhanush', posing as "enemy" missile with a simulated range of about 1100 km and guided by an inertial navigation system, was first fired by Navy warship INS Shubadhra, anchored about 70 nautical miles from Dhamra in the Orissa coast, at around 4.20 pm.

Just two minutes later, the BMD system's radars picked up the signal of the "enemy" missile and 40 seconds later the PAD missile was fired to destroy the incoming missile. PTI

 

[EnlightenedMonk]

I'm somehow a little skeptical about any claims made by the DRDO due to their slightly shoddy track record. They're good, but they sometimes tend to hype things up a little bit.

I'd possibly adopt a wait and watch approach on this entire issue. If they're able to deliver as per the 2010 - 2012 dates that they seem to be suggesting, then it's great.

I do hope politics doesn't come in the way of this induction.

 

[EnlightenedMonk]

By the way, does anybody have any idea on how the Israeli Greenpine radar possibly helped us in this ??? Because, I read an article in Wikipedia that suggested that Israel had sold us a Greenpine radar.

Since its Wikipedia, I don't know whether to trust it or not, but any ideas from the forum members about the radar ???

 

[LETHALFORCE]

Israel has not sold greenpine yet, USA would have the final word if/when they do.

 

[EnlightenedMonk]

Israel has not sold greenpine yet, USA would have the final word if/when they do.

Hmmm... so, the following quote on Wiki is wrong, eh ??? Thanks for the information....

Israel was in negotiations with India to sell the system to that country, but US arms-control regulations blocked the sale of the actual missiles - though the Green Pine radar system was sold to India, which is manufacturing derivatives of it for its own Ballistic Missile Defense Program.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/jun/28radar.htm

this is the old article above

either way we don't need it anymore since we have Phalcon AWAC, many reports also say we have acquired it and it being used in our BMD with AKash???