Indian Army to get two new regiments of Akash Prime air defence missile system

New Delhi, May 7: In a major development, the Indian Army has made a proposal to buy two new regiments of the indigenous Akash Prime missile air defence missiles systems. The aim is to boost its ability to shoot down enemy aircraft and drones further enhancing the Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives.

 

 

 

Reports suggest that the proposal is at an advanced stage before the government. This will help in further strengthening the air defence of the country against aerial attacks from both the Chinese and the Pakistani sides.

 

 

 

The development is coming at a time when the Indian Army's Western and South Western commands carried out around a dozen test firings of the existing version of the Akash missiles in the force.

 

 

The results have been found outstanding despite the fact that the missiles used for the test firings had been deployed in an operational role during the recent conflicts.

 

In comparison to the existing Akash System, Akash Prime is equipped with an indigenous active Radio Frequency (RF) seeker for improved accuracy. Other improvements also ensure more reliable performance under low-temperature environments at higher altitudes. A modified ground system of the existing Akash weapon system has also been used.

 

 

The Akash Prime system has further enhanced the confidence of the users (Indian Army and Indian Air Force). The missile can be deployed at heights up to 4,500 metres and can take down targets at a distance of around 25-30 km. Akash is the country's important missile with over 96 per cent indigenisation. Akash is a Surface-to-Air Missile with a range of 25 Kms. The missile was inducted in 2014 in Indian Air Force (IAF) and in 2015 in Indian Army.