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Indian Ballistic Missile Defence Programme
TestingThe June 10-11, 2026 series successfully demonstrated multi-layer BMD engagements; the government said the suite is intended to address threats up to ICBM class.
DRDO completed a three-test series on June 10-11, 2026, officially reporting successful multi-layer BMD engagements and a system capability intended to address threats up to intercontinental ballistic missiles; Naval News identified the BMD interceptors as AD-1 and AD-2. A July 2024 Phase-II endo-atmospheric trial validated the networked weapon system against a target representing a 5,000 km-class ballistic missile. The official 2022 description gives AD-1 both low-exo and endo roles, while Naval News describes AD-1 as the shorter-range endo layer and AD-2 as the longer-range exo layer. Phase I established PAD, AAD and PDV interceptors, and a 2023 naval-platform trial extended the demonstrated architecture to sea-based endo-atmospheric defence. The programme matters because it gives India an indigenous, increasingly networked second layer against ballistic-missile attack beyond conventional surface-to-air defence.
Updated 11 Jun 2026
Verified figures
Specifications
Spec sources: pib.gov.in ↗ · pib.gov.in ↗ · pib.gov.in ↗ · navalnews.com ↗ · pib.gov.in ↗ · missilethreat.csis.org ↗ · timesofindia.indiatimes.com ↗ · pib.gov.in ↗
Changelog
Program timeline
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DRDO completed three consecutive flight tests across June 10-11; Naval News identified the two BMD shots as AD-1 and AD-2 and reported that both interceptors engaged their targets in a multi-layer demonstration.
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DRDO flight-tested the Phase-II AD endo-atmospheric interceptor from ITR Chandipur, meeting all objectives and validating a complete network-centric system against a target representing a 5,000 km-class ballistic missile.
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DRDO and the Indian Navy conducted the maiden flight trial of a sea-based endo-atmospheric interceptor off Odisha, engaging and neutralising a hostile ballistic-missile threat from a naval platform.
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DRDO conducted the maiden flight test of the Phase-II AD-1 interceptor from APJ Abdul Kalam Island, with geographically distributed BMD weapon-system elements participating and all subsystems performing as expected.
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India tested the exo-atmospheric PDV interceptor; CSIS reported that the missile executed its heat-shield ejection and infrared-seeker sequence and successfully engaged the target.
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DRDO tested the AAD interceptor at the Integrated Test Range, selecting one target in real time from multiple simultaneous incoming targets before tracking and intercepting it accurately.
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AAD completed an endo-atmospheric interception test against an electronically simulated target at about 15 km altitude.
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The Prithvi Defence Vehicle completed an exo-atmospheric interception test against a target missile launched from the Bay of Bengal.
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DRDO carried out the maiden flight of the PDV exo-atmospheric interceptor using a specially developed two-stage target that represented a ballistic missile approaching from more than 2,000 km away.
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An AAD interceptor launched from Wheeler Island destroyed a modified-Prithvi ballistic target at 15 km altitude, with long-range and multifunction-control radars tracking the target throughout its flight.
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A two-stage interceptor destroyed a target at 75 km altitude; the release also recorded the 2006 PAD intercept at 48 km and the 2007 AAD intercept at 15 km.
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DRDO's then-unnamed exo-atmospheric interceptor, subsequently associated with PAD, intercepted a modified Prithvi target at 50 km altitude over the Bay of Bengal in the programme's first major intercept demonstration.
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