India successfully conducts missile-versus-missile test (SECOND LEAD)

[Judi Lynn]

India successfully conducts missile-versus-missile test (SECOND LEAD)
Nov 27, 2006, 10:00 GMT

Balasore (Orissa), Nov 27 (IANS) India Monday successfully test-fired two nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missiles against each other from different military test ranges on the Orissa coast to test their effectiveness, officials said.

While one missile was test fired from the shore-based Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur-on-sea at 10.15 a.m. from a mobile launcher at launch complex No.3, the second one went off over a minute later from another mobile launcher at launch complex No.4 in the Inner Wheeler Island. Both ranges are located 150 km from state capital Bhubaneswar.

The missiles collided in the sky over the Bay of Bengal about 70 km from the Chandipur range, defence sources said. The impact created a 'boom like sound' with the remnants of the rockets falling into the Bay of Bengal, officials said.
(snip)

The air defence exercise is to be followed by a three-day national conference on range technology from Tuesday at ITR. To be inaugurated by President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, it will be attended by 15 renowned defence scientists from the US, Britain, France, Germany and Denmark.
(snip/...)

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/india/article_1226509.php/India_successfully_conducts_missile-versus-missile_test_%0A_SECOND_LEAD_

[FloridaPat]

1. First question: did either of the missles have a radio beacon on

it. If not, second question is how much did it cost to create a working missle defense. And if it's under a trillion bucks and took less than 30 years, why is India ahead of the US that much?

[lvx35]

3. I imagine the system has parallel inputs.

It probably hones in on radio, visual, and thermal inputs from the target missile.

[lvx35]

2. I expect a wide proliferation of missile technology.

this technology, as well as cheap GPS integrated systems in the middle east, cheap anti-aircraft systems and systems for hitting vehicles. I've been studying DSP and AI with things like FGPAs, and to be frank, I don't think a lot of this stuff is really that complex. Yet think of how smart missiles would have shaped the last Isreal/Lebanon conflict. Its something we should sure as hell stay on top of.

[lapfog_1]

4. Something about this doesn't seem quite right..

The missile in question (Prithvi-II) has only internal guidance systems, no mention of any tracking system. All of the articles I could find say that they tested one missile, not two, although one article said that a future test might have two meet in mid air as a test of accuracy (with only internal guidance and nothing in the way of target seeking on board it would take a minor miracle to pull a mid air... launch times synchronized to the millisecond and no variables in the rocket burns and so on), It's a surface to surface missile with a range of 150 to 300 km, so making the two collide would be really really hard.

On the other hand, making the two detonate in the same area and at the same time might be quite feasible.

In any event, even if one accepts that the two collided, it's hardly a missile defense system (not even a crappy Patriot battery). For a true missile defense system (for these battlefield weapons), one would have to detect, track, ready and launch within probably 10 to 20 seconds... given that the total flight time of a Prithvi-2 is only about 300 seconds and you want to intercept somewhere in the middle of the flight path and you are using the same missile.

[liberal N proud]

5. Here is a country that is a threat to the US

They are taking our jobs and we give them nuclear technology and help the build a bomb?
:wtf: