India on Friday successfully flight-tested a new generation Akash-NG missile off the coast of Odisha, in a major boost to the country's military prowess.
“The missile was test-fired from the integrated test range in Chandipur at 10.30 hours,” the defence ministry said. It said the flight test was conducted against a high-speed unmanned aerial target at very low altitude and the successful firing of the weapon system has paved the way for its user trials. Akash-NG has a range of around 80km.
"During the flight test, the target was successfully intercepted by the weapon system and destroyed," the ministry said in a statement. "It has validated the functioning of the complete weapon system consisting of the missile with indigenously developed radio frequency seeker, launcher, multi-function radar and command, control and communication system," it said.
“The system performance was also validated through data captured by a number of radars, telemetry and electro-optical tracking systems,” the ministry said. "The flight test was witnessed by senior officials from DRDO, Indian Air Force, Bharat Dynamics Limited and Bharat Electronics Ltd," it said.
The Akash-NG system is a state-of-the-art missile system capable of intercepting high-speed and agile aerial threats. It is learnt to have a range of around 80km.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Indian Air Force and the concerned public sector undertakings for the flight test. “The successful development of the system will further enhance the air defence capabilities of the country,” he said.
DRDO Chairman Samir V. Kamat also congratulated the teams associated with the successful flight test of the missile.
