Akash (missile)
| Akash | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type | Mobile Surface-to-air missile system |
| Place of origin | India |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2009-present |
| Used by |
Indian Army Indian Air Force |
| Production history | |
| Designer | DRDO |
| Manufacturer |
Ordnance Factories Board Bharat Dynamics Bharat Electronics |
| Produced | 2009-present |
| No. built | 3000 missiles |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 720 kg (1,590 lb) |
| Length | 578 cm (228 in) |
| Diameter | 35 cm (14 in) |
|
|
|
| Warhead | High-explosive, pre-fragmented warhead |
| Warhead weight | 60 kg (130 lb) |
|
Detonation
mechanism |
RF proximity fuse |
|
|
|
| Propellant | integral rocket motor/ramjet booster and sustainer motor |
|
Operational
range |
30 km (19 mi) |
| Flight ceiling | 18 km (59,000 ft) |
| Speed | Mach 2.5 |
|
Guidance
system |
Command guidance |
Akash (Sanskrit: आकाश Ākāśa "Sky") is a medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile defense system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for Missile Systems, Ordnance Factories Board and Bharat Electronics (BEL) for other Systems in India. The missile system can target aircraft up to 30 km away, at altitudes up to 18,000 m. It has the capability to "neutralise aerial targets like fighter jets, cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles" as well as ballistic missiles. 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. The Indian military's combined orders of the Akash, including radar systems (WLR and Surveillance), have a total worth of ₹ 23,300 crore (US$4 billion).
Mark-I
The first test flight of Akash missile was conducted in 1990, with development flights up to March 1997.
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