CURRENT AFFAIRS | 25 JUNE 2026
What Happened
In June 2026 the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted a series of successful flight-tests demonstrating India’s multi-layered Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) Phase-II capability, with three consecutive flight-tests on 10–11 June 2026. The achievement places India in the elite group of nations capable of intercepting incoming ballistic missiles across long and intercontinental ranges. In the same period, the maiden flight-test of the Naval Anti-Ship Missile–Medium Range (NASM-MR) was carried out, and the RudraM-II air-to-surface missile advanced its development with a test on 2 June 2026. All systems are indigenous, in line with Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Background: BMD Phase-I vs Phase-II
India’s BMD programme is built in two tiers. Phase-I combined an exo-atmospheric interceptor (Prithvi Air Defence / Prithvi Defence Vehicle) with an endo-atmospheric interceptor (Advanced Air Defence, AAD) to neutralise threats within shorter ranges and at different altitudes. Phase-II introduces the AD-1 and AD-2 interceptors, designed to engage ballistic missiles of much longer ranges — a substantial leap in deterrence. The lineage of these indigenous missiles traces back to the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).
India’s missile development also operates within global non-proliferation arrangements. India joined the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in 2016, easing access to high-end technology and dual-use systems. Procurement and indigenisation are steered by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) and the Positive Indigenisation Lists under Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Why It Matters
A credible two-layer BMD shield strengthens strategic deterrence and signals self-reliance in high-technology defence. For aspirants, it is a compact case-study of defence S&T, indigenous capability and India’s standing in global technology-control regimes.
Strategically, an operational Phase-II interceptor system narrows the gap between India and the handful of countries — the United States, Russia and Israel among them — that field tested ballistic-missile-interception capability. It also reinforces minimum-credible-deterrence doctrine: a defensive shield complements, rather than replaces, India’s declared ‘no-first-use’ nuclear posture by raising the cost and lowering the certainty of a hostile first strike. The parallel progress of the naval NASM-MR and the RudraM-II anti-radiation/air-to-surface missile shows the indigenisation push spanning all three services, with private and DRDO-led ecosystems feeding the Positive Indigenisation Lists. For CLAT purposes, the cluster of dates (10–11 June for BMD, 2 June for RudraM-II) and the Phase-I vs Phase-II distinction are the most testable takeaways.
The lead agency is the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The missile lineage flows from the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). India’s access to advanced missile technology is shaped by its 2016 entry into the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). Indigenisation is driven by Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the Positive Indigenisation Lists, and the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC).
| Particular | Detail |
|---|---|
| Agency | DRDO |
| Capability shown | Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) Phase-II |
| BMD tests | Three consecutive flight-tests, 10–11 June 2026 |
| Phase-II interceptors | AD-1 and AD-2 (longer ranges) |
| Phase-I interceptors | PAD/PDV (exo) + AAD (endo) |
| Naval missile | NASM-MR maiden flight-test |
| Air-to-surface | RudraM-II (test 2 June 2026) |
| MTCR membership | India joined in 2016 |
| Policy thrust | Aatmanirbhar Bharat / Positive Indigenisation Lists |
Defence S&T GK with crisp factual anchors: DRDO, BMD Phase-I vs Phase-II (AAD/PDV vs AD-1/AD-2), IGMDP legacy, and India’s 2016 MTCR entry. Expect matching and one-liner questions; the indigenisation/Aatmanirbhar theme is a recurring framing across GK passages.
“Phase-1 = AAD; Phase-2 = AD-1/AD-2” — the numbers grow with the range. And ‘MTCR in 2016’ — remember India’s missile club entry as ‘2016, the year of clubs’.
Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
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