India to use missile interception system as a weapon

INDIA: India's newly tested missile interception system will likely be turned into a weapon and deployed within four years, the head of the country's missiles development program said.

India is also working toward testing a newer and faster missile, Vijay Kumar Saraswat said at a news conference late Sunday.

His comments came a week after India's defense ministry said it had conducted its first successful test interception of a ballistic missile, using a rocket to shoot down an incoming missile.

The missile was intercepted at an altitude of 50 kilometers (30 miles).

If the interceptor missile, the medium-range and nuclear-capable Prithvi II, can be transformed into a viable defense system, it would see India join an elite club of nations with working missile shields.

Saraswat said the Defense Research and Development Organization of India plans to add an improved homing device and faster maneuverability to the interceptor missile to shoot down an "enemy" missile at an altitude below 30 kilometers (20 miles).

The upgraded version, which will also be able to target aircraft, will be tested within four months.

"This is being done to increase the killing probability of our intercepting missile and to leave no leakage in the air defense system," Saraswat said.

HYDERABAD, Monday, AP