India's Defense Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully developed an indigenously developed interceptor missile that is designed to destroy enemy ballistic missiles.

The missile was test fired at DRDO's Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Odisha. The test has made the country join only an elite list of countries with such defense capabilities. The scientist first launched a modified Prithvi missile, acting as a hostile target ballistic missile at 10.10am from ITR at Chandipur.

After a few minutes, the advanced air defense (AAD) interceptor missile was launched from a mobile launcher 70 km from Chandipur off Odisha coast. ITR director SP Dash explained that the radio frequency seeker of the interceptor missile detected the target and guided the missile to hit the target accurately.

Dash also said that the test was one of finest mission where the interceptor directly hit the missile and destroyed at a 15km altitude. Dash said India is the fifth nation to have these capabilities in the world.

"It was fourth successful trial of AAD interceptor missile against incoming ballistic missile in endo-atmospheric regime at 15km altitude. The guidance computers continuously computed the trajectory of the incoming ballistic missile and launched AAD-05 interceptor missile at a precisely calculated time," a defense release said.