New Delhi: India today said it has successfully tested a new variant of the indigenous air defence missile, Akash Prime, which uses a locally-made Radio Frequency (RF) Seeker to intercept enemy missiles, drones and aircraft.

“A new version of the Akash missile — ‘Akash Prime’ — has been successfully flight tested from Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha on Sep. 27, 2021, at around 4:30 pm. The missile intercepted and destroyed an unmanned aerial target mimicking enemy aircraft, in its maiden flight test after improvements,” a statement from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said.

In comparison to existing Akash surface-to-air missile system, ‘Akash Prime’ is equipped with an indigenous active RF seeker for improved accuracy. Other improvements also ensure more reliable performance under low temperature environment at higher altitudes.

Modified ground system of the existing Akash weapon system has been used for the current flight test. The range stations of ITR comprising of Radars, EOTS and Telemetry stations monitored the missile trajectory and flight parameters.

Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO, Indian Army, Indian Air Force, Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSU) and the industry for the successful trials of ‘Akash Prime’ missile. He said the successful flight test proves the competence of DRDO in the design and development of world class missile systems.

DRDO Chairman and Department of Defence Research and Development Secretary Dr G. Satheesh Reddy congratulated the team for the successful flight trial of ‘Akash Prime’ missile. He said Akash Prime system will further boost the confidence of the users — the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force — as the Akash system is already inducted and now getting improved with more lethal systems.

NOTE: Defence.Capital is available on Telegram. Please click here to subscribe