Relevance: GS III (Science & Technology, Defence) | Source: The Hindu

1. What is the Big News?

In February 2026, during the military conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran, the world saw a massive use of Missile Interceptor Shields.

• The Concept: To survive a “rain of missiles,” countries use a defence shield. This system fires its own “defensive missile” to catch and destroy an incoming “enemy missile.”
• The Logic: It is literally like hitting a fast-moving bullet with another bullet high up in the sky.

2. How Does It Work? (The 3 Stages of Flight)

For your UPSC Prelims, you must know that an enemy missile can be stopped at three different stages:

• Boost Phase (The Launch): Catching the missile just after the enemy fires it. This is very difficult because it happens deep inside enemy borders.
• Mid-Course Phase (In Space): Catching the missile while it is traveling through the vacuum of space. This is called Exo-atmospheric (outside the atmosphere) interception.
• Terminal Phase (The Re-entry): Catching the missile when it falls back down into our sky to hit the target. This is called Endo-atmospheric (inside the atmosphere) interception.

3. Important Technologies to Know

• Hit-to-Kill Tech: Old defence systems used to explode near the enemy missile to damage it. Modern Indian and US systems physically crash into the enemy weapon at massive speeds. The sheer force of the crash completely crushes the bomb.
• Hypersonic Defence: Missiles that fly 5 times faster than sound (Hypersonic) are very hard to catch because they change direction in the air. Modern shields use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to guess their exact path.

4. Major Missile Shields of the World

Every major country has built its own specific shield. Here are the most important ones for your UPSC notes:

• S-400 Triumf (Russia): Bought by India, this is one of the world’s most advanced systems. It can track and destroy drones, fighter jets, and ballistic missiles up to 400 km away.
• Iron Dome (Israel): Famous for creating a “protective roof” over Israel. It is highly effective at stopping short-range, cheap, and unguided rockets.
• Patriot & THAAD (USA): The Patriot system is used for terminal phase defense (catching missiles right before they hit the ground). THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) hits targets at slightly higher altitudes.
• PAD & AAD (India): India’s own Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) shield. Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) intercepts in space, and Advanced Air Defence (AAD) intercepts within the atmosphere.

5. Modern War Tactics (The Challenges)

• Saturation Attacks: This is a trick where the attacker fires hundreds of cheap drones along with real missiles. The goal is to “overload and confuse” the defender’s radar system so that a few missiles can slip through.
• The Money Problem: An enemy drone might cost just $20,000, but the defence missile fired to destroy it can cost $2 million. Defending a country is becoming very expensive.

UPSC Value Box

Consider the following pairs of Missile Defence Systems and their countries of origin:

1. S-400 Triumf — Russia
2. THAAD — Israel
3. Iron Dome — United States of America

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

(a) Only one pair

(b) Only two pairs

(c) All three pairs

(d) None of the pairs

Correct Answer: (a)