Zeenews Bureau
Balasore: India on Monday test-fired two indigenously developed "Akash" missiles in quick succession from a test range in Odisha.
The test-fire of the surface-to-air anti-aircraft defence missiles was the third in five days.
Last week, India had twice successfully test-fired the indigenously developed missile from the test range at Chandipur near Balasore.
The tests were conducted on May 24 and 26.
The missile has a strike range of 25 kilometres with warhead of 60 kilograms.
Akash, an anti-aircraft defence system, can simultaneously engage several targets with ‘Rajendra’ radar developed by Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE), a DRDO laboratory situated at Bangalore. Rajendra does the surveillance, tracks the target, acquires it and guides the missile towards it.
The development of Akash missile took place during 1990s under country’s integrated guided missile development programme (IGMDP). After many trials, was inducted into armed forces in 2008. An air-force version of ‘Akash’ missile has also been developed by DRDO.
Rajendra is a multifunction radar, capable of tracking as many as 64 targets and controlling up to 12 missiles simultaneously.
Defence experts have compared Akash missile system with the American MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system.
They claim that like the MIM-104, the Akash is capable of neutralising aerial targets such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), fighter jets, cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles.
(With PTI inputs)
