India is all set to develop an indigenous defence system to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles by the end of 2010. A top defence official V.K. Saraswat has said that the system is under process and it is being designed at present. He further said that the system would be put on trial in 2009 before officially launching hopefully in 2010. VK Saraswat is the chief controller of the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

The missile defence system will be able to detect, intercepting and destroy the intermediate-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles from any country. Saraswat said on the sidelines of a science conference:

India is developing a robust anti-missile defence system with high-speed interceptions for engaging ballistic missiles in the 5,000-kilometre (3,000-mile) class and above.

Earlier, India had successfully handled targets in the class up to 2,000-2,500 kilometres. He further said that if India develop the system successfully it will join the elite club of Israel, Russia and the US which have already developed possessed this technology.

According to the report, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has already developed the defence system’s tracking and fire control radars in collaboration with Israel and France. Further, India has also planned to test-fire a missile range of up to 6,000 kilometres in 2009.