Unmanned aerial target mimicking enemy aircraft successfully destroyed by Akash Prime, a new version of Akash missile.
On 27th September 2021, a new version of the indigenous Akash Missile – ‘Akash Prime’ was flight tested from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, Odisha. An unmanned aerial target mimicking enemy aircraft was intercepted and destroyed by the missile in its maiden flight test after improvements.
Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Akash is a medium-range surface to air missile which was first flight-tested in 1990 and is capable of neutralizing aerial targets like cruise missiles, fighter jets, air to surface missiles and ballistic missiles as well. The Akash missile system can target enemy aircraft up to 80 km away and at altitudes up to 18,000m.
For improved accuracy, the new version of this surface to air missile is equipped with an indigenous active radio frequency (RF) seeker while better reliability performance under low-temperature environments at higher altitudes is ensured by other improvements made in the missile. The missile trajectory and flight parameters were monitored by the range stations of ITR comprising Radars, Electro-Optical Tracking System (EOTS) along with the Telemetry stations.