Last Wednesday’s anti-satellite (A-SAT) test, in which a Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) interceptor missile destroyed a satellite 300 kilometres (km) above the earth, raises several questions. There are allegations that the test was politically motivated and conducted with an eye on the coming general elections rather than by any real need to validate and demonstrate India’s A-SAT capability. Others have argued this underscores the government’s commitment to military R&D. To grasp the technicalities of the debate, one must understand three interlinked technologies — ballistic missiles, ballistic missile defence (BMD) and A-SAT interception.
A ballistic missile works on the simplest
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