India on Friday test-fired the indigenously-developed surface-to-air Akash missile from the Integrated Test Range launch complex at Chandipur near here.
The missile targeted a floating object supported by a pilotless target aircraft (PTA) lakshya. It was test-fired from the ITR launch complex-3 at 11.22 am, Defence sources said, adding that some more trials would be conducted within the next couple of days.
Akash is a medium range surface-to-air anti-aircraft defence system developed by the DRDO as part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme. It has a strike range of 25 km and can carry a warhead of 60 kg. It has the capability to target aircraft up to 30 km away and is packed with a battery that can track and attack several targets simultaneously.
With the capability to neutralise aerial targets like fighter jets, cruise missiles, air-to-surface missiles etc, Defence experts compare Akash to the American MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system.
Its last trial was conducted on June 6, 2012 from the same base.