While talks have been on for the past one year, a team of top American missile experts is heading for New Delhi next month to work out details and identify specific areas of cooperation. This comes just weeks after India carried out a successful test of its homegrown interceptor missiles.

On offer is the cutting-edge “hit-to-kill” technology that enables an interceptor to destroy incoming ballistic or cruise missiles with a direct hit — the only way to ensure total destruction of the nuclear warhead. At present, the American Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC) III is the sole proven system in the world with this capability.

“We will be interested in seeing how to share technology and find ways to get a comprehensive missile defence system for India. A technology we have developed is “hit-to-kill” that is absolutely necessary for destroying weapons of mass destruction,” said Lt Gen (retd) Dennis D Cavin, Vice-President, International Air and Missile Defence Strategic Initiatives, Lockheed Martin, who will head the team of American experts.

While India’s indigenous missile defence shield is still in the nascent stage — the first set of tests were completed late last year — it is far from proving the capability of destroying an enemy missile with a direct hit. The Patriot system has already been inducted into active service.

“The US has spent billions of dollars developing the PAC II system and we reckon that India need not spend so much money on developing its own system when we can help,” said Cavin.

— (The reporter is in the US at the invitation of Lockheed Martin)