India builds defence missile shield with US

India is soon to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States to boost its missile defence system. The MoU is aimed at giving India the state of the art technology that will allow it to intercept any threat from ballistic missiles.

In the cold war era Russian and Americans were in a state of conflict, tension and competition. Both the superpowers were engaged in costly defence spending and in a massive conventional and nuclear arms race and numerous proxy wars.

Then American President Reagan's dream-dubbed star war didn't quite shape up but was scaled down to a more realistic version of ground-based anti-missile systems.

India's Agni missile -- a strategic strike missile -- is being tested. Now, India is joining hands with the United States of America to create its own missile shield to protect and destroy.

The missile defence programme is intended to be a defensive screen with the ability to track and destroy incoming ballistic missiles. The command centre communicates target information to ground-based interceptors. This can then intercept and destroy incoming ballistic missile warheads outside the earth's atmosphere. Called kill vehicles, these interceptors isolate the warhead from the missile decoy.

India will now have access to these technologies and will also ask the US to allow it to observe missile tests like this. The crucial help will come in enhancing capabilities of its own command centres which will act as the brains of the missile defence system.

India will now use this advance technology to defend its territory and keep its forces in a state of readiness.