The DRDO’s latest claim that it has “acquired air defence capability against incoming missiles” might be somewhat far-fetched. But there is no doubt India has finally embarked on the right course. To be sure, the technology “to shoot a bullet with a bullet”, which is what missile defence is about, is nowhere near being realised. Despite investing in missile defence research for nearly 25 years, the US is yet to deploy credible systems. Nevertheless, the US, Russia and Israel have all built and deployed advanced versions of traditional air defence missiles. The Indian test — on Monday, off Orissa coast — seems to be an effort to develop a system similar to the US ‘Patriot’, the Israeli ‘Arrow’ and the Russian ‘S-300’. However, given the experience with DRDO’s Trishul, a lot more detail about Monday’s test and the “terms” under which the missile interception was deemed a “success” would be required before passing an unreserved verdict.
The politics of anti-missile missile systems, however, is already positive. Monday’s tests put an end to India’s prolonged hypocrisy on missile defence. Although it badly needed missile defence to guard against Pakistani nuclear blackmail and to complicate the Chinese nuclear calculus, New Delhi feigned opposition. When Jaswant Singh dropped the pretence for a moment in May 2001, when he was minister for defence and external affairs, there was political outrage both within and outside the government. Opposing the Bush administration’s plans for missile defence was considered more important than India staying close to military technological development elsewhere in the world. Since then India repeatedly spurned the US’s offer to cooperate on missile defence.
Given the most likely involvement of the sophisticated Israeli radar, which India bought a few years ago, in Monday’s missile test, DRDO has wisely not made the claim that the system was indigenous. Given the scale and complexity of the technologies involved, India must now stop being coy about cooperating with America on missile defence. For India, missile defence is surely the way to go. The quickest way of getting there is through open international collaboration.
