Finally, some turnaround for the beleaguered Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) - words of praise and achievements from a belligerent and a fuming press on November 27, 2006, when an incoming Prithvi missile launched from the Balasore Interim Test Range was successfully intercepted & destroyed at an altitude of 50 km over the Bay of Bengal by another Prithvi missile. No doubt that with this success, India has entered the club of a few elite countries having an impressive ballistic missile defence capability.
Yet, it is too premature for DRDO to celebrate and for the media to create headlines like 'rise from ashes' and hype up the situation. This supersonic missile has to at least go through a series of successful tests before it can be inducted for real time defense of the country. It should also be ensured that DRDO does not thrust this capability on the armed forces with inadequate tests. At the same time, this success should not be allowed to cover up the failures of the Nag, Akash, Trishul and numerous other misadventures. It should ideally be a norm rather than an exception that every endeavour of DRDO succeeds. No justification and no excuse for their previous failures. A single success cannot wipe out all the blots of the past.