DRDO Completes Akash-NG Missile User Trials

The Defence Research and Development Organisation has successfully completed the user evaluation trials (UET) of the Akash-New Generation, also known as Akash-NG, missile system. 

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully completed the user evaluation trials (UET) of the Akash-New Generation, also known as Akash-NG, missile system, clearing the way for its induction into the Indian Air Force (IAF).
• DRDO has also developed another version of Akash, Akash Prime, whose range is the same as the earlier version, but a crucial new feature has been added to it to hit aerial targets with greater accuracy, which is an indigenous active radio frequency (RF) seeker.
• The first test of the Akash-NG missile was conducted on 25 January, 2021 from the Integrated Test Range off the coast of Odisha. On 12 January, 2024, a successful flight test was conducted against a high-speed unmanned aerial target at very low altitude, which cleared the way for its user trials.

Akash missile

• A short to medium range surface-to-air missile, its development was started by DRDO in the late 1980s under the leadership of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam as part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.
• Akash is named after the Sanskrit word ‘Akash’, which symbolises interception in the air. It has been primarily designed to provide air defence cover to vulnerable areas and vital installations.
• The Akash weapon system can engage multiple targets simultaneously in group mode or autonomous mode. It has built-in electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM), which means it has onboard mechanisms that can counter electronic systems designed to deceive detection systems.
• Akash was inducted into the IAF in 2014 and into the Indian Army the following year. Both the IAF and the Army currently operate multiple squadrons and groups of the missile respectively. DRDO has said that the Akash missile has 96% indigenous components.
• In December, 2020, the Cabinet approved the export of the Akash missile after several friendly countries showed interest during various international exhibitions. The export version of Akash will be different from the version in service with the Indian armed forces.

Journey of Akash-NG

• The operational range of the initial version of Akash is 27 to 30 kilometres and the flight altitude is around 18 kilometres. The Akash-NG system has been developed with better deployability compared to other similar systems, featuring a canisterised launcher and a very small ground system footprint.
• The development of Akash-NG began around the same time when the earlier version was being inducted into the IAF and the Indian Army in the mid-2010s.
• Akash-NG has been primarily designed for the IAF, with the aim of intercepting highly manoeuvring aerial threats that have a low radar cross section (RCS), which is the electromagnetic signature of a flying object.
• In addition to improved effectiveness against threats with low electromagnetic signatures, the NG version has a range of up to 70 kilometres, a sleeker and lighter profile, and a very small ground system footprint.
• Being canisterised, Akash-NG missiles are stored and operated in specially designed sealed containers. The controlled internal environment of the canister not only facilitates transportation and storage, but also significantly enhances the missile’s shelf life and operational readiness.

Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP)

• The Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) was launched by the Government of India in the year 1982-83, under which the following projects were undertaken:
• Prithvi (short-range surface-to-surface missile)
• Trishul (short-range surface-to-air missile)
• Akash (medium-range surface-to-air missile)
• Nag (third-generation anti-tank missile)
• Agni-I (due to strategic importance, the Agni missile was later separated from the IGMDP) After developmental trials in the 1990s and early 2000s, the IAF and the Indian Army conducted large-scale user trials.