Research and development work on the indigenous ship defence missile Trishul will be stopped in December, official sources confirmed in New Delhi on Saturday.
Instead, the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) will focus on developing an advanced version of the Israeli Barak missile, now in the middle of a controversy following allegations of bribery in its imports.
The sources said Trishul was intended only as a technology demonstrator, meaning work on it would have formed the basis for developing missiles of the same category. They implied that the missile was not intended for induction in the Indian Navy although statements at various points of time by DRDO scientists suggested otherwise.
At least 50 trials have been conducted and nearly Rs. 300 crore has been spent on developing the Trishul, which is meant to shoot down missiles homing in on a ship.
The decision could cast a shadow on two other missiles