Anti MIRV & Anti Hypersonic! India's Next Generation Ballistic Missile Defence System In Making|

DRDO Begins Phase 3 Missile Defence: India Developing Anti Hypersonic & Anti MIRV Interceptors After successfully completing Ballistic Missile Defence Phase 2, DRDO has shifted its focus to Phase 3, where India is developing two of its most advanced interceptor missiles yet. According to media reports, the new Phase 3 program includes AD-AH (Anti Hypersonic) and AD-AM (Anti MIRV) interceptors, taking India's Missile Defence program into a new generation of strategic technologies. During Ballistic Missile Defence Phase 2, DRDO developed the AD1 and AD2 interceptors to counter advanced ballistic missile threats. While Phase 1 provided protection against shorter-range ballistic missiles, DRDO later confirmed that Phase 2 was designed to intercept Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles (IRBMs). Following the latest full-system tests of AD1 and AD2, reports suggest the system is now capable of engaging ICBM-class threats, marking a major milestone for India's indigenous Ballistic Missile Defence program. However, intercepting an ICBM is only part of the challenge. Modern ICBMs travel at extremely high speeds and can deploy MIRV (Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle) warheads during the mid-course phase of flight. Instead of carrying a single warhead, a MIRV-equipped ICBM releases multiple warheads, making interception significantly more difficult. This is why MIRV technology is considered one of the biggest challenges for every Missile Defence system in the world. To counter this threat, reports suggest DRDO is developing the AD-AM interceptor. Unlike conventional interceptor missiles that destroy only one target, AD-AM is expected to use a Multi Kill Vehicle concept. After detecting an incoming MIRV-equipped ICBM, the interceptor would release multiple kill vehicles capable of engaging several warheads during a single interception attempt. At present, the United States is pursuing a similar concept under its Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) program, making AD-AM one of India's most ambitious Missile Defence projects. The second major project is AD-AH, an interceptor specifically designed to destroy Hypersonic Missile threats. Unlike ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons fly at lower altitudes, maneuver throughout their flight, and provide defenders with far less reaction time. Their unpredictable flight path makes them one of the most difficult targets to intercept, which is why countries such as the United States, Russia, China, and several European nations are investing heavily in dedicated hypersonic defence systems. With AD-AH and AD-AM, DRDO is developing dedicated solutions for the two most challenging missile threats of the future: Hypersonic Missile systems and MIRV-equipped ICBMs. This marks a major shift from earlier Ballistic Missile Defence phases, which focused primarily on traditional ballistic missiles. India formally launched its Ballistic Missile Defence program around the year 2000. In just over two decades, DRDO has progressed from intercepting short-range ballistic missiles to developing technologies against ICBM, Hypersonic Missile, and MIRV threats. With Phase 3 now accelerating, India's Missile Defence program is entering one of its most advanced stages and strengthening the country's long-term strategic deterrence capabilities. #drdo #ballisticmissiledefence #hypersonicmissile #icbm #mirv #missiledefence #india #missile