Anti-ballistic missile (ABM)

An anti-ballistic missile (ABM) is a missile designed to counter ballistic missiles (a missile for missile defense). A ballistic missile is used to deliver nuclear, chemical, biological or conventional warheads in a ballistic flight trajectory. The term "anti-ballistic missile" describes any antimissile system designed to counter ballistic missiles. However the term is used more commonly for ABM systems designed to counter long range, nuclear-armed Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972

Various technical, economic and political problems resulted in the ABM treaty of 1972, which restricted the deployment of strategic (not tactical) anti-ballistic missiles.
By the ABM treaty and a 1974 revision, each country was allowed to deploy a single ABM system with only 100 interceptors to protect a single target. The Soviets deployed a system named A-35 (using Galosh interceptors), designed to protect Moscow. The U.S. deployed Safeguard (using Spartan/Sprint interceptors) to defend ballistic missile sites at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, during 1975. The U.S. Safeguard system was operational only briefly. The Russian system (now called A-135) has been improved and is still active around Moscow.
On June 13, 2002, the United States withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and subsequently recommenced developing missile defense systems that would have formerly been prohibited by the bilateral treaty. This action was done for the ostensible reason of needing to defend against the possibility of a missile attack conducted by a rogue state.

India

India's Advanced Air Defense (AAD) interceptor missile

Main article: Indian Ballistic Missile Defense Program

India has an active ABM development effort using indigenously developed and integrated radars and locally designed missiles.^[9] In November 2006, India successfully conducted the PADE (Prithvi Air Defence Exercise) in which an Anti-ballistic missile, called the Prithvi Air Defense (PAD) an Exoatmospheric (outside the atmosphere) interceptor system intercepted a Prithvi-II ballistic missile. The PAD missile has the secondary stage of the Prithvi missile and can reach altitude of 80 km. During the test the target missile was intercepted at an 50 km altitude.^[10] India became the fourth nation in the world to acquire such a capability and the third nation to develop it through indigenous effort.^[11] On 6 December 2007 the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile system was tested successfully.^[12] This missile is an Endo atmospheric interceptor with an altitude of 30 km. According to scientist V K Saraswat of DRDO the missiles will work in tandem to ensure a hit probability of 99.8 percent.^[13] Induction of the system into services is expected to be in 2010. Two new anti ballistic missiles that can intercept IRBM/ICBMs are being developed. These high speed missiles (AD-1 and AD-2) are being developed to intercept ballistic missiles with the range of 5000 km.^[14]
On March 6, 2009 India successfully tested an indigenous interceptor missile that destroyed an incoming "enemy" ballistic missile at an altitude of 80 km. A Dhanush missile was launced from a ship about 100 km from the coast. It rose to a height of 120 km and as it began its downward trajectory, the interceptor was launced and successfully achieved a kill.

Russia

S-300PMU-2 vehicles. From left to right: 64N6E2 detection radar, 54K6E2 command post and 5P85 TEL.

Apart from the Moscow ABM deployment during the Cold War, Russia has striven actively for intrinsic ABM capabilities in its late model SAM systems. Russian ABM capable systems include the following:

• S-300P (SA-10)
• S-300V (SA-12)
• S-300PMU-1/2 (SA-20)
• S-400 (SA-21)
• S-500 „Самодержец”
• ABM-1 Galosh^[18][19]
• ABM-3 Gazelle^[20]
• ABM-4 Gorgon^[21]