Akash Prime air defence system aces Indian Army’s high altitude trial in Ladakh sector

In a major development, the Indian Army carried out successful trials of the indigenously developed Akash Prime air defence system at over 15,000 feet altitude in the Ladakh sector on Wednesday, giving a further boost to the indigenous defence innovation and manufacturing. The trials were carried out by the Army Air Defence in the presence of senior officials of the Defence Research and Development Organisation which has developed the system.
During the trials, the surface-to-air missiles made two direct hits against very fast moving target aircraft in the very high-altitude area with a rarefied atmosphere.

The Akash Prime system would form the third and fourth regiments of the Akash air defence systems in the Indian Army. The system also performed very well in thwarting aerial attacks by the Pakistani military using Chinese aircraft and Turkish drones during Operation Sindoor, said defence officials.

The Akash Prime is an advanced, indigenously developed, short-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system designed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It is a variant of the original Akash missile system and is designed to protect vital areas and points from aerial threats.

In comparison to its precursor, the Akash system, Akash Prime is equipped with an indigenous active Radio Frequency (RF) seeker for improved accuracy. Besides, other enhancements ensure more reliable performance under low-temperature environments at higher altitudes.

Akash Prime made its first successful test flight from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha, in September 2021, and the missile intercepted and destroyed an unmanned aerial target mimicking enemy aircraft in its maiden test flight.

Akash is a short-range surface-to-air missile system to protect vulnerable areas and vulnerable points from air attacks. Akash Weapon System can simultaneously engage multiple targets in group mode or autonomous mode. The weapon system has been configured on mobile platforms and is operational with the Indian Air Force (IAF) as well as the Indian Army (IA).