Akash (missile)
| Akash | |
|---|---|
Latest variant, Akash Prime missile being fired from a mobile launcher | |
| Type | Mobile Surface-to-air missile system |
| Place of origin | India |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2009-present |
| Used by | Indian Army Indian Air Force Armenian Armed Forces See Operators |
| Wars | India-Pakistan Conflict 2025 |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Prahlada Rama Rao (DRDO) |
| Manufacturer | Bharat Dynamics Limited |
| Unit cost | ₹2.5 crore (US$500K) |
| Produced | 2009–present |
| No. built | 15,500 missiles till 2025 |
| Variants |
|
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 720 kg (1,590 lb) |
| Length | 578 cm (228 in) |
| Diameter | 30 cm (12 in) – 35 cm (14 in) |
| Warhead | High-explosive, fragmentation |
| Warhead weight | 60 kg (130 lb) |
Detonation mechanism | Radio proximity fuze |
| Engine | Solid booster with air-augmented rocket and ramjet sustainer motor |
| Propellant | Solid fuel |
Operational range | 25 km (16 miles) – 30 km (19 miles) |
| Flight ceiling | 20 km (66,000 ft) |
| Flight altitude | 18 km (59,000 ft) |
| Maximum speed | Mach 1.8 to 2.5 |
Guidance system | Mid-course: Command guidance with datalink Terminal: Active radar homing |
Launch platform | |
Akash (lit. 'Sky') is a medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The Army and the Air Force variants of the missile system are produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). Surveillance and fire control radar, Tactical Command and Control Center and missile launcher are developed by BEL, Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Larsen & Toubro. The Akash missile system can target aircraft up to 45 km (28 mi) away. It has the capability to neutralise aerial targets like fighter jets, cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles. It is in operational service with the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force.
An Akash battery comprises a single PESA 3D Rajendra 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 (equivalent to ₹400 billion or US$4.8 billion in 2023). As per Ministry of Defence (MoD) Report 2018, existing order of Akash saved ₹34,500 crore (equivalent to ₹460 billion or US$5.5 billion in 2023) of foreign exchange for India on imports.