A user trial of homegrown short-range surface-to-air anti-aircraft missile Akash was conducted off the Odisha coast at around 11.40 am on Wednesday.The missile targeted a floating object supported by pilotless target aircraft (PTA) lakshya, Defence officials said.
This was Akash’s third trial in six days. To revalidate the technology and operational efficacy of the missile, the Defence forces conducted trials with logistic support of the ITR at Chandipur near here.
The Akash weapon system was inducted into the armed forces in 2008. The system, which can fly at a speed of around 2.5 Mach, can reach an altitude of 18 km. It is meant for both for Indian Army and Air Force. Having a strike range of about 32 km, it can be fired from both track and wheel platforms.
The missile has a launch weight of 720 kg, a length of 5.8 metres and a diameter of 35 cm and can carry a payload of 50 kg. It is 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.