India's new Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor missile, capable of destroying hostile missiles, on Monday encountered coordination problem and failed to take off during a planned launch from the Integrated Test Range at Wheeler Island off Orissa coast. Read more
The 5,200 tonne attack submarine HMS Trenchant used one of her torpedo tubes to launch the advanced new long-range missile, which then flew over the Gulf of Mexico, striking a target hundreds of miles away with pin-point accuracy. During the 60 minute test flight the missile reached heights of 3 km and speeds of 805 kmh.
The Defence Department said Friday it shot down a missile in a simulated attack designed to test a proposed shield against strikes by long-range ballistic missiles from nations such as North Korea.
The US has successfully tested its missile defence system designed to intercept long-range ballistic missile attacks, the Pentagon says. A spokesman said it was a crucial step in plans for the missile shield the US wants to base in Europe. The target missile was launched from the Alaskan island of Kodiak before being tracked and destroyed by an interceptor launched from California.
Israel has carried out the successful test launch of a long-range, ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, in what was intended as a clear show of strength to Iran. While Iranian military chiefs carry out regular test firings of their own missiles, events that are often shown on state television, in Israel things are done with less fuss. The lack of public awareness caused a flap when the contrail from the test firing was seen in the skies over Jerusalem causing many Israelis to call the emergency services fearing attack by Palestinian militants. It was launched from the top-secret Palmachim air base south of Tel Aviv, home to a number of highly sensitive Israeli weapon systems including the Arrow anti-missile defence battery.
India Sunday tested a specially developed high-speed interceptor missile, Advanced Air Defence (AAD), over the Bay of Bengal to examine its capability to destroy a missile, defence sources said.