Next-gen air-defence missile Akash tested successfully

India on Friday conducted a successful flight test of the new generation AKASH missile from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha, officials said.

The flight test was conducted by DRDO against a high-speed unmanned aerial target at very low altitude. During the flight test, the target was successfully intercepted by the weapon system and destroyed, they said.

"It has validated the functioning of the complete weapon system consisting of the missile with indigenously developed Radio Frequency Seeker, Launcher, Multi-Function Radar and Command, Control & Communication system", the officials said.

The system performance was also validated through the data captured by a number of radars, telemetry and electro-optical tracking system deployed by ITR, Chandipur.

The flight test was witnessed by senior officials from DRDO, Indian Air Force (IAF), Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).

The AKASH-NG system is a state-of-the-art missile system capable of intercepting high-speed, agile aerial threats. The successful flight test has paved the way for user trials.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has complimented the DRDO, IAF, PSUs and the industry for the flight test. The successful development of the system will further enhance the air defence capabilities of the country, he said.

Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat also congratulated the teams associated with the successful flight test of AKASH-NG.