Akash (missile)

"Akash-1S" redirects here. For the longer ranged pulsed rocket motor powered missile, see Akash-NG.

Akash
Latest variant, Akash Prime missile being fired from a mobile launcher
TypeMobile Surface-to-air missile system
Place of originIndia
Service history
In service2009-present
Used byIndian Army
Indian Air Force
Armenian Armed Forces
See Operators
Production history
DesignerDefence Research and Development Organisation
ManufacturerBharat Dynamics Limited
Unit cost₹2.5 crore (US$500K)
Produced2009–present
No. built3,500 missiles till 2011[1]
Variants
Specifications
Mass720 kg (1,590 lb)
Length578 cm (228 in)
Diameter30 cm (12 in) – 35 cm (14 in)
WarheadHigh-explosive, fragmentation
Warhead weight60 kg (130 lb)
Detonation
mechanism
Radio proximity fuze
EngineSolid booster with air-augmented rocket and ramjet sustainer motor
PropellantSolid fuel
Operational
range
25 km (16 miles) – 30 km (19 miles)[2][3][4]
Flight ceiling20 km (66,000 ft)
Flight altitude18 km (59,000 ft)
Maximum speed Mach 1.8 to 2.5[3]
Guidance
system
Mid-course: Command guidance with datalink
Terminal: Active radar homing
Launch
platform

Akash (Hunterian: Akash, lit. 'Sky') is a medium-range[6] mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL). Surveillance and Fire control radar, tactical control and command center and missile launcher are developed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Larsen & Toubro.[7][8] The Akash missile system can target aircraft up to 45 km (28 mi) away.[9] It has the capability to neutralise aerial targets like fighter jets, cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles.[6][10] It is in operational service with the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force.

An Akash battery comprises a single Rajendra 3D passive electronically scanned array radar and four launchers with three missiles each, all of which are interlinked. Each battery can track up to 64 targets and attack up to 12 of them. The missile has a 60 kg (130 lb) high-explosive, pre-fragmented warhead with a proximity fuse. The Akash system is fully mobile and capable of protecting a moving convoy of vehicles. The launch platform has been integrated with both wheeled and tracked vehicles. While the Akash system has primarily been designed as an air defence SAM, it also has been tested in a missile defense role. The system provides air defence missile coverage for an area of 2,000 km2 (770 sq mi). The Indian military's combined orders of the Akash, including radar systems (WLR and Surveillance), have a total worth of ₹28,800 crore (US$4 billion).[11][12][13] As per Ministry of Defence (MoD) Report 2018, existing order of Akash saved ₹34,500 crore of foreign exchange for India on imports.[14]

  1. ^ "Indian Army Orders Akash SAM". Aviation Week. 25 March 2011. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  2. ^ PHILIP, SNEHESH ALEX (30 December 2020). "Govt approves export of indigenous Akash SAM as UAE, Vietnam among others show interest". The Print. New Delhi. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Exercise Astrashakti: Indian Akash air defence missile system destroys 4 targets simultaneously". The Hindu. ANI. 17 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  5. ^ "BEL Akash Missile System". Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  6. ^ a b "India Successfully Test Fires Medium-Range Akash Missile". NDTV. Archived from the original on 12 August 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  7. ^ "Akash Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) System". Airforce Technology. Archived from the original on 16 January 2024. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  8. ^ Journal of Electronic Defense Staff (2004). "Guided Threat Systems". International Electronic Countermeasures Handbook. Artech House. p. 115. ISBN 978-1-58053-898-5.
  9. ^ Akash missile successfully test fired for second day, Dated:18 November 2014 Archived 6 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "Nuclear-capable Akash missile test fired". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2012. Nuclear-capable Akash missile test fired
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference AW01 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Akash Missile Users Give Feedback To DRDO | AVIATION WEEK Archived 27 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ "More Akash systems for Army – NATIONAL – the Hindu". aviationweek.com. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017.
  14. ^ Kulkarni, Sushant (28 September 2021). "Explained: What are the two advanced versions of Akash missile?". The Indian Express. Retrieved 29 September 2021.