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India’s ambitious Akash anti-aircraft missile is finally being accepted as a world-class missile and the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Army are gearing up to induct more squadrons of the missile. The ‘Akash’ anti aircraft missile was part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme of the state-owned Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
The ‘Akash’ anti-aircraft missile has come under criticism several times in the past. Experts felt that the IAF placed orders to salvage the ‘Akash’ programme of DRDO despite the missile not living up to global standards. However, the IAF has evinced more interest in the missile in the recent times. The IAF’s order last year for two Akash squadrons has been doubled with a fresh IAF order for 16 more launchers that will be stationed in northeast India.
In addition, the ‘Akash’ misisile has also caught the attention of the Indian Army which may acquire the missile for its Strike Corps or other areas like its ground force. DRDO’s Chief Controller for Research and Development, Mr. Prahlada, has confirmed that the Indian Army is also displaying interest in the ‘Akash’ missile since it is a mobile system that is suitable for various roles.
The ‘Akash’ anti-aircraft missile was intended as a replacement for the Indian Army’s obsolescent Russian SAM-6 Kvadrat.The DRDO has taken two decades to develop the cross-country mobile, tank-mounted version of the ‘Akash’ missile system that the army is now interested in. The DRDO has managed to fit the entire ‘Akash’ system including radars, missile launchers and command centres into T-72 tanks. This provided the ‘Akash’ with the cross-country mobility to advance deep into enemy territory along with Indian Army strike corps, shooting down enemy fighters at ranges as far out as 25 kilometres.
The salient feature of the ‘Akash’ missile battery is the Hyderabad-developed Rajendra phased-array radar that tracks up to 64 enemy fighter aircraft simultaneously in a radius of 60 kilometres. The mobile command centre selects up to four of the most threatening air targets, and two Akash missiles are fired at each from the T-72 based Akash launchers, which move alongside. The Rajendra radar continuously guides the missiles, eventually blasting the enemy fighters.
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