Indian Ballistic Missile Defense System

[LETHALFORCE]

very simple question that Chinese members may know ,what radar did the Chinese use to track a missile 1840 km above the earth? USA's THAAD uses X -band radar for mid-course interception and Chinese do not have X-band radar.

 

[Armand2REP]

very simple question that Chinese members may know ,what radar did the Chinese use to track a missile 1840 km above the earth? USA's THAAD uses X -band radar for mid-course interception and Chinese do not have X-band radar.

Who said the missile was 1840km above the earth? Chinese hardly need to track the missile when they have the interceptor pre-programmed to the target's trajectory.

 

[blade]

frankly speaking, india's missle interception tech is still primitive.

1. the failure proves India's terminal-course interception tech is still not mature while USA's Patriot, Russia's S300/400 and CHina's HQ9 has been mass-produced and deployed for decades. Patriot,S300/400 and HQ9 all have the terminal-course interception capacity against short-range missles.

2.many key components of India's termianl-course interception system have to be imported ,such as gyroscope and solid-propellant rocket engines.

3. the size of India terminal-course interception is much bigger than USA's Patriot, Russia's S300/400 and CHina's HQ9.it tells us that India still has progressed quitely slowly in the miniaturizaiton of rokect propellants.

4.as I know, what India has r succeeded in is the terminal-course interception of short-range missle. it has not prove that India's terminal-course interception system can intercept mid-range or long range missles,as USA's SM3.

5. terminal-course interception tech is just tactic weapon and can hardly intercept ICBM. only mid-course and boosting-course interception tech are strategical weapons and can hold up ICBM.

However ,both mid-course and boosting-course interception tech are so expensive that I don't think other countries except USA and China can afford to the development of mid-course and boosting-course interception tech.
fact proves it that even Russia seems to have given up the development of mid-course and boosting-course interception after Soviet collapsed in 1992 and only USA and CHina succeeded in Mid-course interception and anti-satellite laser emperiments( anti-satellite laser is the key tech of boosting-course interception).

FRANKLY SPEAKING In little words your post is full of WRONG INFORMATIONS. S300,S400 are not in the same category of PAC & AAD. HQ-9 is not even in the class of S 300/400 so just forget about that. They simply have limited capability against ballistic missiles but pose an almost insurmountable challenge to other aerial objects like fighter jet,drone etc. Even their effectiveness against advanced cruise missile is not beyond doubt.

Yeh i agree US & china has the biggest defence budget but that dosnt mean that INDIA cannot have an equivalent system to THAAD. Till now THAAD is considered to have highest altitude exo atmospheric interception capability.
Do you know there is something called PVD? which is being designed to intercept at more than 150km altitude and to be tested in 2010 itself? Once done this will be of the class as THAAD or ARROW III. PVD will be a much more slick version of the previous interceptors. Also dont forget india is in an advanced stage of scramjet technology developement, that ofcourse we are not doing it for fun. There is no point in reinventing the wheel by achieving wht world has already achieved few decades ago rather its a prudent decision to catch up the world in the next generation technology.Till then
there is no harm in importing presently available high tech rocket propellant.

No one is saying a terminal interception will stop an ICBM. That is why PAD bkl 2 is being developed my dear friend. AAD is only for SRBM & IRBM interception which is very well posible at the terminal phase as already displayed by
PAC.

Anti satellite laser has nothing to do with mid course or boost phase interception. It is satellite mounted laser device that will do the job so dont post half baked info plz. Even India is working toward achieving the same. It will take another 10 to 15 years before it is achieved and by no chance china, for that matter not even US will achieve it by any time sooner than that.

As a final word all i can say whether india is slow or prudently cautious in choosing research & development area is yet to be seen.Plz wait till 2020 and everything will be out there for Chinese eyes only.

 

[gogbot]

Ballistic flight paths


* boost phase: 3 to 5 minutes (shorter for a solid rocket than for a liquid-propellant rocket); altitude at the end of this phase is typically 150 to 400 km depending on the trajectory chosen, typical burnout speed is 7 km/s.

* midcourse phase: approx. 25 minutes—sub-orbital spaceflight in an elliptic orbit; the orbit is part of an ellipse with a vertical major axis; the apogee (halfway the midcourse phase) is at an altitude of approximately 1,200 km; the semi-major axis is between 3,186 km and 6,372 km; the projection of the orbit on the Earth's surface is close to a great circle, slightly displaced due to earth rotation during the time of flight; the missile may release several independent warheads, and penetration aids such as metallic-coated balloons, aluminum chaff, and full-scale warhead decoys.

* reentry phase (starting at an altitude of 100 km): 2 minutes—impact is at a speed of up to 4 km/s (for early ICBMs less than 1 km/s); see also maneuverable reentry vehicle.

 

[lodaxstax]

But, as per reports, the Prthivi target missile, following its launch at 10.02 am followed the course for 11 kms and then unexpectedly deviated from its trajectory, due to which the interceptor missile's radars did not get activated towards the potential threat and hence the interceptor did not take off in pursuit of the target.

Regarding the last ABM test going awry with Prithvi loosing its trajectory unexpectedly, there were some reports on DRDO's plan for developing newer missile defence system by deviating the incoming missile ( cant find the link but damn sure read it on one of the forum, members please help) off its target.

The target missile took off in normal way; at T+20 sec (approx) the target deviated due to some onboard system malfunction and could not maintain the intended trajectory, failing to attain the desired altitude profile.

IF we try and read between the lines, the missile takes off and in 20 seconds gets deviated due to some onboard malfunction!! could this be the testing for this new system. Because surprisingly enough there was not much media noise this time around against the Failure. Looks plausible considering DRDOs history of testing shauryas, agnist all under the garb of prithvi.

 

[nandu]

After Failure, AAD Interceptor Re-Test In June
India's endo-atmospheric interceptor missile, the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) weapon will be tested in a week-long window in the first half of June, according to sources. Data from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) is still being analysed by scientists from the programme. A serious malfunction of onboard flight control systems is likely to have caused the modified Prithvi to dive out of the sky and smash into the Bay of Bengal without attaining its programmed altitude before curving back for an interception. Scientists say they've figured out what went wrong and have corrected it. Let's hope so.

http://livefist.blogspot.com/

 

[RAM]

First phase of ballistic missile shield to be deployed in 2012

Notwithstanding the recent failure of the interceptor missile test, the first phase of the indigenous Ballistic Missile Defence System to intercept and destroy incoming enemy missiles of less than 2,000-km range is expected to be deployed in two years.

Disclosing this to The Hindu recently, V.K. Saraswat, Director-General, Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister, said the first phase would be made operational through the new concept of ‘capability-based deployment.' The Air Defence Programme has been divided into two parts — depending upon the threat perception. While the first category of threats pertains to enemy missiles with less than 2,000-km range, the second type belongs to those with more than 2,000 km. Both the phases will have two layers. The aim of the two-tier system is to first destroy an incoming missile, at a higher altitude, in the exo-atmosphere above 50 km. If that does not happen, the endo-atmospheric interception will take place up at the height of 30 km from the earth.

The DRDO has developed the Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) missile for exo-atmospheric interception and the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) system for endo-atmosphere interception.

With a fresh interceptor missile test in the endo-atmosphere planned in a couple of months, some more trials were planned for 2010-11 and 2011-12 to ensure reliability, repeatability and suitability for deploying phase-1assets, Dr. Saraswat said.

Simultaneously, DRDO scientists have started work on phase-II solutions. It requires radars of longer range and new hypersonic interceptor missiles flying at Mach 6 with agility and the capability to discriminate against ballistic missile defence counter measures. “Our effort is to have interception at very high altitudes, and the entire system will be able to handle multiple, simultaneous attacks,” he said.

A crucial requirement for the second phase is a floating test-range — a complete launch station from which interceptors will be fired. Scientists have started designing the ship and associated systems such as radar, mission control centre, launch control centre, communication network and many other equipment needed for phase-II trials.

The ‘capability-based deployment,' under which a system would be put to use, as it got perfected, had paid rich dividends for some countries, Dr. Saraswat said. The entire work on the two phases was planned to be completed by 2016

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/article261220.ece

 

[sayareakd]

A crucial requirement for the second phase is a floating test-range — a complete launch station from which interceptors will be fired. Scientists have started designing the ship and associated systems such as radar, mission control centre, launch control centre, communication network and many other equipment needed for phase-II trials.

this is great news, i always say that we need to deploy PAD and AAD on your ships along with LRTR.

 

[Chota]

Don't you think using Prithvi (PAD) as an interceptor is a bit akward considering it size. Though it seem to do the job, from operational point of view, interceptor must be small and thin like Shaurya..They should have used Shourya based interceptor

 

[Chota]

If you had observed the recent test, the Prithvi was supposed to cover a range of less than 50 KM but is supposed to fly to 110 km. So the trajectory was programmed so that it has a very high parabolic path in contrast with a ballistic missile path..The "mimicking an enemy ballistic missile's trajectory with a range of 1,500 km" comes from this modified trajectory..

 

[nandu]

Indian Scientists To Feature At First Multinational BMD Conference

Scientists from India's ballistic missile defence (BMD) programme -- probably the youngest programme of its kind in the world -- will feature and present papers at the first ever Israel Multinational Ballistic Missile Defence Conference, organised by the Israel Missile Defense Association (IMDA) at Tel Aviv from May 5-6. The three papers to be presented are Non-Linear Sub-optimal Midcourse Guidance With Desired Alignment Using MPQC by Programme AD deputy project director Dr Abhijit Battacharyya, Strategy for Missile Weapon System Flight Test, Evaluation and Demonstration Planning by Parveen Kumar from DRDO's Directorate of Missiles and Integrated Estimation Guidance and Control for Engaging Ballistic Targets by Prasiddha Nath Dwivedi a missile scientist with DRDO's Research Centre-Imarat (RCI). The conference, the first of its kind, will feature speakers from the American BMD programme as wel.

http://livefist.blogspot.com/

 

[nandu]

Stopping ballistic missile

Stopping ballistic missile

The deployment of India's planned ballistic missile shield is to start in two years' time. The Defence Research and Development Organisation, which is developing and testing the complex system, intends to roll it out in two phases and have all of it up and running by 2016. The first phase will deal with missiles having a range of less than 2,000 km, and the second will tackle missiles with a longer range. The latter will be travelling much faster than the former and are therefore less easily targeted. There will be interceptors to destroy the incoming missiles at heights of over 50 km as well as much closer to the ground. Such a tiered defence is intended to boost the chances of knocking out an incoming missile before it hits the target. The problems encountered with a Prithvi missile simulating an enemy attack in a recent test is not likely to be a serious setback to these plans. India is not the only country that seeks to protect its citizens from enemy missiles carrying nuclear and other lethal warheads. The United States has been developing anti-ballistic missile systems for over 60 years. Its highly ambitious missile shield aims to destroy ballistic missiles during all stages of their flight. In February 2010, the U.S. successfully tested an airborne laser carried aloft on a modified Boeing 747, which was used to destroy a missile less than two minutes after it was fired. Israel, Japan, and the Taiwan regime too intend to establish missile defence capabilities. China, which demonstrated its anti-satellite capability in 2007, successfully conducted a mid-course missile interception test in January this year. Russia has a system of its own that was developed during the Cold War.

A big unanswered question is how effective any of these missile shields, including the Indian one, will be in an actual conflict situation, especially if it is between nuclear-armed nations. The technical evaluation of the U.S. system carried out by the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2000 is instructive. It found that there were a range of countermeasures an attacker could take to “confuse, overwhelm or otherwise defeat the defence.” Any country capable of deploying a long-range missile would be able to use them. Decoys could overload a defensive system and allow attacking missiles to slip past. Besides, even the U.S. system is intended to be effective against only a “limited ballistic missile attack.” The Indian defensive shield too will have similar limitations: if a single nuclear-tipped missile gets through, the consequences will be calamitous. This country would do better to rely on diplomacy, rather than a chancy missile shield, to increase its security.

http://beta.thehindu.com

 

[Yusuf]

BMD thread already exists.

 

[RPK]

http://livefist.blogspot.com/2010/04/prithvi-target-missile-failure-due-to.html

Prithvi Target Missile Failure Due to Flight Control Component Failure, No Design Problems: Investigators


The embarrassing malfunction of the Prithvi target missile that ended up aborting India's Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor missile test on March 15, was caused by the material malfunction of a minor component in the flight control system, scientists associated with the investigation have told LiveFist. While analysis is still on to confirm precisely which component or components failed -- resulting in the Prithvi aborting ascent towards desired altitude and instead diving towards the Bay of Bengal -- the investigation team has put it down to poor quality assurance, a malady that caused a lot of heartache in the last few years.

Quality control is aggravating things immeasurably in India's missile programme. Missiles that are absolutely fine on the drawing board -- and successful in most tests -- are ending up with a dud reputation as a result of poor quality assurance of minor components, some of them laughably minor, but thunderingly significant at ballistic missile velocities, as was made shudderingly clear in the Agni-III's disastrous debut test and the Agni-2 test in November last year.

 

[youngindian]

India to re-test ballistic missile defence shield

Sunday, April 11, 2010


Bangalore: India will conduct afresh the trial of its tactical ballistic missile in June to build a credible defence shield for intercepting and destroying incoming missiles, a top defence scientist said today.

"We will conduct a flight test of the anti-missile system again in June to build the ballistic missile defence shield against incoming medium- or long-range missiles," Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) director-general VK Saraswat said here.

Admitting that the earlier test conducted on March 15 at the integrated test facility on Wheeler Island off Orissa failed when one of the two rockets involved in the trial deviated off the course, Saraswat said investigation into the incident revealed that the system did not work and the target was missed due to fuel leakage.

"Analysis of the earlier trial revealed that there was a leakage in the target missile leading to system failure. We are rectifying it to ensure the next flight test in June will hit the target and demonstrate our advance capability in developing the missile defence shield against any adversary missile attack," Saraswat said on the sidelines of an event.

The fresh trial will also be conducted in the endo-atmospheric (within the earth's atmosphere) region, at an altitude of 100km, and subsequently in the exo-atmospheric (out of the atmosphere) region.

India plans to deploy the first phase of the defence shield by 2012 after completing a series of trials and evaluating their target range.

"As in the previous trial, a target missile will be launched as an incoming missile and intercepted with another missile," Saraswat, who is also the scientific adviser to the defence minister, said after delivering a keynote address at a convention organised by the Aeronautical Society of India.

The sophisticated ballistic missile defence system is built to thwart any incoming missile from entering the air space of the country.

The state-run DRDO has developed the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) system for endo-atmospheric interception and the Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) missile for exo-atmospheric interception.


http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_india-to-re-test-ballistic-missile-defence-shield_1370184

 

[shuvo@y2k10]

first of all there is a mistake in your article -india did not buy the long range green pine radar from israel-which is a jv between israel and us.us would have blocked its sale to india after 1998 pokhran testing.so india's drdo persuued a separate jv with israel to produce a separate long range radar based on greenpine.secondly us did never offer us dsp nor did we ever want to buy them given the nagging nature of US in terms of npt and also because of its continious aid to pakistan.also i would like to point out that so far all the test of the bmd done by drdo in terms of
bmd's ground based sensor testing ,target aquisition, guidance is a remarkable success and it's first phase is to be operatinal by 2011 and not the following decade.also isro is launching a range of satellities for bmd guidance like irnss.india will be the third country after us, ussr to independently execute a sucessful bmd programme.

 

[shuvo@y2k10]

how effective is india's bmd against mirv warheads?

 

[sayareakd]

DRDO chief stresses on space based security

With the focus of the Indian military is increasingly shifting towards space-based technologies, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has already put in place the building blocks of an anti-satellite system that can put the country on par with China, DRDO chief VK Saraswat said on Sunday.
Speaking at the national conference on frontiers of aeronautical technologies in Bangalore, he said “We have a few building blocks of space-based technologies and some more will be ready in the coming years,” said Saraswat who is also the scientific advisor to the defence ministry.
The laser based space sensors and exo-atmospheric kill vehicle (EKV) programmes of DRDO act as perfect combination to track the space-based attacker and guide the ballistic missile system to target it.
Saraswat added, “We need orbital space, radio frequency spectrum, and rapid replacement capacity, low cost satellites to replace or replenish to counter the threats.”
“We also need infra red sensing satellites in the geostationary and low earth orbits for early warning of the approaching target,” he said.
Apart from the anti-satellites, Saraswat stressed the need for space-based intelligence satellites and sensors for protection in air, ground and sea.

http://www.3dsyndication.com/showarticlerss.aspx?nid=Aal0q7xduvtjETJroiXWPbwG1pvpH6bstLXlXIhBhms=

 

[Sridhar]

India to re-test ballistic missile defence shield

IANS
Sunday, April 11, 2010 20:38 IST
Bangalore: India will conduct afresh the trial of its tactical ballistic missile in June to build a credible defence shield for intercepting and destroying incoming missiles, a top defence scientist said today.
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"We will conduct a flight test of the anti-missile system again in June to build the ballistic missile defence shield against incoming medium- or long-range missiles," Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) director-general VK Saraswat said here.
Admitting that the earlier test conducted on March 15 at the integrated test facility on Wheeler Island off Orissa failed when one of the two rockets involved in the trial deviated off the course, Saraswat said investigation into the incident revealed that the system did not work and the target was missed due to fuel leakage.
"Analysis of the earlier trial revealed that there was a leakage in the target missile leading to system failure. We are rectifying it to ensure the next flight test in June will hit the target and demonstrate our advance capability in developing the missile defence shield against any adversary missile attack," Saraswat said on the sidelines of an event.
The fresh trial will also be conducted in the endo-atmospheric (within the earth's atmosphere) region, at an altitude of 100km, and subsequently in the exo-atmospheric (out of the atmosphere) region.
India plans to deploy the first phase of the defence shield by 2012 after completing a series of trials and evaluating their target range.
"As in the previous trial, a target missile will be launched as an incoming missile and intercepted with another missile," Saraswat, who is also the scientific adviser to the defence minister, said after delivering a keynote address at a convention organised by the Aeronautical Society of India.
The sophisticated ballistic missile defence system is built to thwart any incoming missile from entering the air space of the country.
The state-run DRDO has developed the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) system for endo-atmospheric interception and the Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) missile for exo-atmospheric interception.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_india-to-re-test-ballistic-missile-defence-shield_1370184

 

[nirmal]

The failure of missile tests are often attributed to quality related issues. Will DRDO be able to ensure stringent quality control measures to ensure that the missiles when deployed after successful trials will be perfect and wont fail?