CURRENT AFFAIRS | 19 JUNE 2026
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) carried out three consecutive successful flight tests on June 10–11, 2026, validating India’s multi-layered Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system and the maiden flight of the Naval Anti-Ship Missile–Medium Range (NASM-MR).
What Happened
The BMD tests demonstrated India’s ability to intercept long-range ballistic-missile threats — both inside the atmosphere (endo-atmospheric) and beyond it (exo-atmospheric) — placing India among the elite group of nations with an operational ballistic-missile shield. The maiden NASM-MR test boosts the Indian Navy’s indigenous anti-ship strike capability.
The achievements advance the Atmanirbhar Bharat goal of self-reliance in defence and follow deepening defence ties with Europe, including the January 2026 India-EU Security & Defence Partnership.
🛡️ Policy & Institutional Framework
DRDO, India’s premier defence R&D agency, functions under the Ministry of Defence. A Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system intercepts incoming missiles in two layers — exo-atmospheric (high-altitude, outside the atmosphere) and endo-atmospheric (lower-altitude). NASM-MR is an indigenous medium-range anti-ship missile. These programmes anchor the Atmanirbhar Bharat push in defence indigenisation, complemented by the India-EU Security & Defence Partnership (Jan 2026) covering maritime, cyber, counter-terror and space cooperation.
🎯 Why This Matters for CLAT
Indigenous missiles, DRDO programmes and strategic self-reliance are recurring CLAT defence/S&T GK. Knowing the BMD two-layer concept and flagship missile names (NASM-MR, Agni, Prithvi) is high-yield.
📌 Key Facts
| What | 3 successful flight tests: BMD + maiden NASM-MR |
| When | June 10–11, 2026 |
| By | DRDO (under Ministry of Defence) |
| BMD | Endo- & exo-atmospheric interception of ballistic missiles |
| NASM-MR | Indigenous medium-range naval anti-ship missile |
| Theme | Atmanirbhar Bharat; India-EU SDP (Jan 2026) |
🧠 Memory Hook
“Two-layer shield: EXO high, ENDO low.” NASM-MR = Naval Anti-Ship Missile – Medium Range.
📝 Test yourself — take the 10-question quiz below:
Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
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