The user trial of homegrown short-range surface-to-air anti-aircraft missile ‘Akash’ was conducted at Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur at around 11.42 am on Monday. The missile targeted a floating object supported by Pilot-less Target Aircraft (PTA) ‘lakshya’, defence officials said, adding that more tests would be conducted soon. This is the second trail conducted within last four days.
The trials are being conducted with logistic support of the ITR in order to revalidate the technology and operational efficacy of the missile, officials said. The last trial was conducted on June 6, 2012 from the same base. The Akash weapon system was inducted into the armed forces in 2008. The Akash, a mobile, multiple-target handling and medium-range air defence missile, was developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). The missile is meant for both for the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force. With the strike-range capacity up to 32 km, the Aksash can be fired from both track and wheel platforms. The 5.8-metre-long missile weighs 720 kg and can carry a payload of 50 kg. It is supported by multi-target and multi-function-phased array fire control radar called ‘Rajendra’, capable of tracking 64 targets and guiding up to 12 missiles simultaneously.
It can destroy manoeuvring targets such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), fighter aircrafts, cruise missiles and missiles launched from helicopters.