In a proud moment for India's defense capabilities, two rounds of the medium-range, nuclear-capable Akash surface-to-air missile were successfully tested. The tests were conducted from a defense facility off the Odisha coast, targeting two unmanned aerial vehicles.
Important Highlights
- The Akash missile system is highly competent, with the ability to engage aerial threats from a distance of approximately 25 kilometers. This ensures a robust defense against potential aerial attacks.
- The Akash missile is a multi-target, multi-directional, all-weather air-defense system. It includes surveillance and tracking radars and can achieve a speed of around 2.5 Mach. The missile can reach a high altitude of 18 kilometers and can go as low as 30 meters, making it highly versatile.
- The successful tests involved the firing of the missiles against a Pilotless Target Aircraft (PTA), an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and a Para-barrel, twice. This demonstrates the precision and reliability of the Akash missile system.
- The development of the Akash missile system is a massive collaborative effort. Over 250 industries are involved in the production and supply of various subsystems/components. All these components are of military/aerospace-grade quality, contributing to the robustness of the missile system. The ground systems for the Akash missile have been developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
Tags: Akash Missile, DRDO
