The Akash missile system is a medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL). It was created to defend vulnerable areas from aerial threats. The system is equipped with advanced Electronic Counter-CounterMeasures (ECCM) and is mobile for versatile deployment.
The development of the Akash missile system began in 1983. The maiden trial firings were carried out in 1990. Developmental trials were conducted until March 1997. The missile was demonstrated for target interception capability against two live aerial targets in November 2005. A total of 16 trial firings were conducted by August 2006.
The Akash missile system has undergone several iterations since its first test flight in 1990. The Mark-I was the initial version, which demonstrated the ability to intercept fast-moving targets in 2005. The Akash-1S was a later upgrade, tested in 2019, with improved strike range and warhead capacity. The Akash Prime, tested in 2021, featured active radio frequencies for increased accuracy. The Akash-NG is the latest version, approved in 2016, offering improved reaction times and heightened aerial defense capabilities. ³
The Akash missile system can engage aircraft up to 30 km away, neutralizing threats like air-to-surface missiles, fighter jets, and cruise missiles. The missile boasts an impressive kill probability, with a single missile having an 88% chance of destroying its target, and a second missile increasing that probability to 99%.
The Akash missile system includes an electronically scanned array radar known as Rajendra 3D. Each battery can track up to 64 targets, engaging up to 12 simultaneously. The missile itself has a 60 kg pre-fragmented warhead and high explosive with a proximity fuse. The system was initially designed for air defense but has since expanded its capabilities. The Indian Air Force has deployed the Akash missile system at multiple bases, including Tezpur, Jorhat, Pune, Gwalior, and Jalpaiguri. The Indian Army has also stationed the system along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh amidst increasing border tensions with China..
The BrahMos missile system is a supersonic cruise missile that was jointly india and Russian developed
- The idea of developing a cruise missile system for India emerged after the Gulf War of 1990s, when India realized the need to equip itself with a long-range, stealthy, and accurate weapon that could strike targets at sea or on land.
- In 1998, India and Russia signed an inter-governmental agreement to form BrahMos Aerospace Limited, a joint venture company to design, develop, manufacture, and market the BrahMos missile system. The agreement was signed by Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, former President of India and a missile technologist, and N V Mikhailov, Russia's first Deputy Defence Minister.
- The first contract for the BrahMos missile system was signed in 1999, under which the company received $123.75 million from Russia and $126.25 million from India. The work on the project began in several specialized laboratories of DRDO and NPOM.
- The first successful launch of BrahMos took place on June 12, 2001 at Chandipur in Odisha. The missile was test-fired from its land-based launcher at an altitude of 15 km and a speed of Mach 2.8.
- Since then, the BrahMos missile system has undergone several upgrades and modifications across various platforms, such as ship-launched, land-launched, submarine-launched, and air-launched variants. The latest version is BrahMos-II, which has an extended range of 290 km and can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads.
- The BrahMos missile system has been inducted into service with the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Philippine Marine Corps (on order), and other potential users such as Russia. It has also been exported to several countries such as Myanmar (on order), Vietnam (on order), Indonesia (on order), Malaysia (on order), Singapore (on order), Thailand (on order), Sri Lanka (on order), Egypt (on order), Algeria (on order), Kenya (on order), Nigeria (on order), Ghana (on order), Tanzania (on order), Uganda (on order), Zambia (on order), Zimbabwe (on order).
- The BrahMos missile system has been praised for its high performance, low cost per shot ($3.5 million for land-based version), high accuracy, low radar signature, ability to operate in all weather conditions, and compatibility with existing platforms. It has also created several world records for being the first cruise missile to be tested at supersonic speeds in a steep-dive mode, having the fastest speed ever achieved by any air-launched weapon, having the longest range ever achieved by any air-launched weapon, etc.
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