India is strengthening its defence by expanding its missile shield to protect more cities. After setting up the system for Delhi and Mumbai, the government will now cover Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad to guard against enemy missile attacks and keep these important cities safe.

Southern Defence Boost Against Pakistan’s HATF-1 and Fatah-2 Missile

India is taking a significant step to strengthen its defence by expanding its own Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) shield in order to protect major cities including Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. 

This move comes as the first phase of the project, meant to safeguard Delhi and Mumbai, nears completion.

The BMD system, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is designed to detect and destroy incoming enemy ballistic missiles before they can hit their targets. It works in two layers:

• First layer (high in the sky, up to 80 km): Uses Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) and Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) to intercept missiles outside the Earth’s atmosphere.

• Second layer (closer to the ground, up to 30 km): Uses Advanced Air Defence (AAD), also called Ashwin, to destroy any remaining threats within the atmosphere.

This two-layer system gives India a better chance of successfully stopping enemy missile attacks.

So far, the BMD shield has been set up to protect:

• Delhi (the capital)

• Mumbai (the financial centre)

These cities were given priority due to the missile threat from Pakistan, especially the nuclear-capable Shaheen missile series.

Now, India is expanding the BMD coverage to three important southern cities:

• Bangalore

• Chennai

• Hyderabad

These cities are being added because of their growing strategic and economic value. Hyderabad, especially, has become a key centre for defence and aerospace industries, with major DRDO, HAL, and BEL facilities, along with many private defence companies.

Instead of building separate defence systems for each city, a single BMD site is being planned in a central location. 

From this point, long-range radars and interceptors will be able to protect all three cities. This smart setup helps:

• Save costs

• Use resources better

• Make command and control easier

This move also helps counter threats like Pakistan’s new Fatah-II rocket system, which can travel up to 400 km and poses a growing challenge.

India is also working on Phase-II of its BMD programme. This will focus on defending against even more powerful missiles- Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missiles (IRBMs) and Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).

To do this, DRDO is testing new interceptors called AD-1 and AD-2:

• AD-1 has already had successful test flights. It can target missiles in both high and low parts of the atmosphere, making it highly effective.

India is expanding its missile defence system to include key southern cities, using smart and cost-effective planning. 

This is part of a long-term effort to build a strong shield against all kinds of missile threats.