As part of its plan to deploy a two-layer ballistic missile defence system, India on Friday successfully test-fired its indigenously developed supersonic interceptor missile from the Integrated Test Range off Odisha coast. A surface-to-surface target missile -- a modified 'Prithvi' -- was first lifted from the launch Complex III in ITR at Chandipur, 15 km from Balasore around 10.13 am, defence sources said.
The United States will deploy additional fighter jets and Navy ships to West Asia in order to defend Israel, the US Department of Defence said.
The report put India's 'stored' nuclear warheads at 172 in January this year while the number for Pakistan was 170.
The missile is capable of intercepting incoming targets at an altitude of 15 to 25 km was launched against multiple simulated targets of 1,500 km class ballistic missile.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif admitted that India's ballistic missiles hit Nur Khan Airbase and other sites on May 10, a rare acknowledgement that contradicts Pakistan's usual stance of denial when it comes to Indian military action.
The test of the Hatf-II or Abdali short range surface-to-surface ballistic missile was part of the "process of validation of land-based ballistic missile systems", the military said in a statement.
All about India's Agni-III missile
Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said the attack was aimed at "specific targets".
India on Saturday successfully test-fired its interceptor missile off the Odisha coast, achieving a significant milestone in the direction of developing a two-layered Ballistic Missile Defence system.
United States President Donald Trump has expressed strong disapproval of Israel and Iran 'violating the ceasefire' he announced earlier in the day and said the two countries have been fighting 'so long and so hard that they don't know what the f*** they're doing'.
The interceptor is a 7.5-metre long single stage solid rocket propelled guided missile equipped with a navigation system, a hi-tech computer and an electro-mechanical activator, the DRDO sources said.
"It was a direct hit and grand success," defence sources said after the test launch.
The United States on Thursday put Iran "on notice" for test-firing a ballistic missile and warned of consequences for its "malign actions", signalling a more hardline stance against Tehran that could set the stage for renewed confrontation between the two nations.
India on Friday successfully test-fired an indigenously developed supersonic interceptor missile, which is capable of destroying a hostile ballistic missile, from a test range off the Odisha coast. "At around 12.52 pm, the interceptor hit the target missile successfully at an altitude of about 15 kilometres," said Defence Research and Development Organisation spokesman Ravi Kumar Gupta.
The United States for the first time has successfully tested a ground-based missile defence system which intercepted a simulated incoming missile over the Pacific Ocean.
The interceptor, known as Advanced Air Defence missile, was engaged against an electronically prepared target which simulated the trajectory of a hostile ballistic missile.
Indian Navy's destroyer INS Kochi responded following the attack on the vessel, MV Andromeda Star, on April 26, officials said, adding all the crew members are safe.
The indigenously developed ballistic missile defence system will be test fired in August this year, a top defence official said on Thursday.
Possible convergence of interest among China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh may result in serious implications for India's stability and security dynamics, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said on Tuesday.
In a leap forward to fortify its skies, India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed interceptor missile which destroyed a 'hostile' target ballistic missile, a modified Prithvi, at an altitude of 16 km over the Bay of Bengal.
The test-firing of the missile from the Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast came amid India's lingering border row with China.
Early this week, the US imposed sanctions on suppliers to Pakistan's ballistic missile programme, including three companies from China.
India and the US have collaborated through the past one month on launching a powerful satellite; are commencing joint production of GE Aerospace's F414 jet engines in India; India is participating in a massive three week-long military exercise in the Western Pacific, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
This the second time that the missile has been test-fired in less than a month and is part of an effort to put in place a multi-layer missile defence system.
The missile, developed by the DRDO, has a range of 3,500 km and it will be able to bring almost all parts of Pakistan and several areas of China within its reach, officials said.
US President Donald Trump has cut short his visit to Canada, where he was to attend G7 Summit meetings, to return to Washington, DC, a day earlier amid escalating tensions between Iran and Israel.
The missile also known as Hataf VI has a range of 200 km and can carry all types of warheads, state-run PTV reported.
The ballistic missile launch was the first by Iran since Trump became President.
Though the Ghauri can hit targets deep within India, Islamabad said it was not meant as a message for New Delhi.
In a dramatic escalation of tensions, Israel launched airstrikes early Friday targeting key nuclear facilities in and around Iran's capital Tehran.
The indigenously developed naval version of the Prithvi short-range ballistic missile has a strike range of up to 350 km and can carry 500 kg of conventional or nuclear warhead, a Defence Research and Development Organisation official said.
India on Thursday test-fired its indigenously designed and developed Advanced Air Defence missile, capable of destroying any hostile ballistic missiles at low altitude, from the Integrated Test Range off Orissa's east coast.
So far, most of the injured have been released. Currently, 106 people are being treated in hospitals, and another 149 are being treated in the emergency room.
India on Monday successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable Agni-II missile intermediate range ballistic missile, with a range of 2000 kms, from the Wheelers Island off Orissa coast.
Pakistan has banned Indian-flagged ships from entering its ports with immediate effect after India imposed fresh punitive measures, including a ban on the import of goods and entry of Pakistani vessels into its ports, against Islamabad amid heightened tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack. The move comes after India announced a raft of punitive measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting down of the only operational land border crossing at Attari, and downgrading of diplomatic ties following the terror attack. The Pakistan Army has also conducted a successful training launch of the Abdali Weapon System, a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 450 km, saying it was aimed at ensuring the operational readiness of troops and validating key technical parameters. India considers the test launch of the ballistic missile a "blatant" act of "provocation."
Halevi's remarks came after Hezbollah fired a missile at central Israel on early Wednesday and Israel responded with airstrikes, which have killed 569 people and wounded 1,835 others, Al Jazeera reported.
The Ababeel missile brings many Indian cities within its range.
Seconds into the test, the anti-ballistic missile deviated from its planned path and it quickly became clear that it would not hit the target.
The missile is a new version of an existing nuclear capable missile.
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