Akash missile test fired from ITR at Chandipur

BALASORE (Odisha): India today test fired its indigenously developed surface-to-air Akash missile from the Integrated Test Range ( ITR) at Chandipur near here.

The missile targeted an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) named 'Banshee', an official of the Defence Research and Development Organisation ( DRDO) said.

The missile, with a strike range of 25 km and capability to carry warhead of 60 kg, was test fired from the launch complex-3 of the ITR, he said.

It is a medium-range surface-to-air anti-aircraft defence system developed by DRDO as part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.

Akash is powered by Ramjet-rocket propulsion system which renders thrust for the missile to intercept the target at supersonic speed without any retardation.

It can fly at a supersonic speed ranging from Mach 2.8 to 3.5 and can engage aerial targets upto a range of approximately 25 km, the official said.

More than three decades after the project was initiated, the missile was formally inducted into the Indian Air Force and the Army last year.

Akash has the capability to neutralise aerial targets like fighter jets, cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles. The last trial from this base was conducted on January 28.