India on Thursday successfully tested a supersonic interceptor missile from a range in Balasore in Odisha. The Advanced Air Defence missile, built by Indian scientists and engineers, can destroy an incoming ballistic missile at a low altitude.

The missile was intercepted in the endo-atmospheric region at an altitude of 15 km, The New Indian Express reported. “The radar of the defence system detected the incoming missile, tracked it and provided the command to launch the interceptor missile,” the daily quoted an unidentified defence official as saying. “The mission was brilliant as the interceptor missile achieved a direct hit, paving the way for its early deployment in the armed forces.”

This was the third supersonic interceptor tested this year. The previous tests were carried out on March 1 and February 11.

The interceptor is a 7.5-m-long, single-stage rocket. The missile, which weighs around 1.2 tonnes, is equipped with a navigation system, a hi-tech computer and an electro-mechanical activator, officials said.