Phase-II Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) interceptor

What is an AD-1 missile?

• The AD-1 is a long-range interceptor missile designed for both low exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric interception of long-range ballistic missiles as well as aircraft. 
• It is propelled by a two-stage solid motor and equipped with an indigenously-developed advanced control system, navigation and guidance algorithm to precisely guide the vehicle to the target.
• AD-1 is a unique type of interceptor with advanced technologies available with a very few nations in the world.  
• It is capable of intercepting incoming long-range nuclear missiles as well as slow-moving aircraft.

Phase-I of  BMD-

• Development of Phase-I of the two-tier BMD, which is designed to track and destroy nuclear missiles both inside (endo) and outside (exo) the earth’s atmosphere at altitudes from 15-25 km to 80-100 km for “a higher kill probability”, was completed by DRDO some time ago.
• India, of course, has inducted the Russian S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile systems that can detect, track and destroy incoming strategic bombers, jets, spy planes, drones and even some intermediate-range ballistic missiles.
• DRDO, on its part, is going ahead in developing the requisite technologies for a full-fledged BMD system. 
• As per the original plan, Phase-I of the BMD system, with interceptors flying at 4.5 Mach supersonic speeds to intercept enemy missiles, was meant to tackle hostile missiles with a 2,000-km strike range. 
• The Phase-II, in turn, is supposed to take on the 5,000-km range class of missiles.
• Only a few countries like the US, Russia, Israel and China have fully-operational BMD systems, with an overlapping network of early-warning and tracking sensors, reliable command and control posts, land and sea-based batteries of advanced interceptor missiles.
• India’s BMD programme has been in the works since the late-1990s, with its first interceptor missile being tested in November 2006. 
• Having conducted over a dozen tests of the BMD system since then, a few of which have failed, DRDO in the past has said that it has a “kill probability of 99.8%” with the mix of exo and endo-interceptor missiles.
• AD-1 is a new and flexible endo-interceptor missile.