New Delhi, March 15
The country’s ballistic missile development programme took a step backwards today. The test-fire of the advanced air defence (AAD) interceptor missile, designed to take off and destroy enemy missiles in mid-air, failed to materialise off the coast of Orissa this morning.

The incoming “enemy” missile fired from the mobile launcher from Chandipur-on-Sea deviated from its path and plunged into the sea. Resultantly, the defence AAD interceptor missile did not get the automated computerised command to respond and take off from its base at Wheeler Island.

This is the first failure of the AAD. Today’s test was aimed at destroying an incoming missile at an altitude of 15-20 km above the surface. Since November, 2006, three similar tests have been successful at varying altitudes.

The first one was conducted at an altitude 48 km, the second one was inside the atmospheric region at 15-km altitude. The last one was in March last year that destroyed the “incoming enemy missile” at a height of 75 km. It was seen as a stunning success, especially in view of China developing similar capacities to destroy enemy objects in space. It destroyed an old geo-stationary satellite in space and that triggered alarm bells across the globe.

At this morning’s failed test, a highly modified version of the Prithvi was used as the incoming “enemy” missile. It was equipped with a warhead to mimic an enemy ballistic missile. When it deviated from its trajectory, the interceptor missile did not fire as it did not sense anything coming inwards, said sources while adding that it was tougher to shoot down at lower altitudes as the reaction time was short.

The DRDO said, “The missile deviated due to some onboard system malfunction and could not maintain the intended trajectory, failing to attain the desired altitude profile.” Interception was not possible as the deviated target did not present itself as an incoming missile threat and accordingly the interceptor missile did not take off, said the DRDO. The cause of the malfunction was being investigated by analysis of tele-metered data. A fresh date for the test would be announced in due course.