Adding more power to its armour, Akash missile system, a formidable shield against possible aerial threats was inducted into the Indian Army on Tuesday. The indigenous system has the potential to prevent aerial threats from enemy’s fighter planes, helicopters, drones and unmanned aerial vehicles up to a maximum range of 25 km and upto an altitude of 20 km.
The system has been inducted into the Indian Army after a long wait of 32 years. It is a surface-to-air short ranged defence system developed by the Defence Research Development Laboratory. It can evaluate and track danger and is capable of launching missile on the basis of information obtained by the radar systems.
DRDO has been working on it since 1983. The Army will be getting two Akash regiments over a period of next two years.
The system is capable of simultaneously engaging multiple targets and is capable of providing comprehensive short range missile cover to the vulnerable assets in the field force of the Army.
“The core of Army Air Defense is responsible to provide air defense cover to the alotted vulnerable assets. Akash weapon system is a state of the art short ranged, surface to air missile system. The teeth of the system are the super sonic rocket ramget missile. This missile has a range from 3 to 25 km. It has an altitude from as low as 30 metres going upto 20 kms. It flies several macs, upto 2.5 mac.”
