NEW DELHI: In a boost to self-reliance in developing advanced missile technology, India on Friday successfully test fired the New General Akash (Akash-NG) missile from the integrated test range, Chandipur off the coast Odisha, defence ministry officials said here. The missile has a range of more than 80 km, it was learnt.
Giving details, they said the Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO)test fired at 1030hours. 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.
“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 80 km.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented the 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. Chief of DRDO Samir V Kamat also congratulated the teams associated with the successful flight test of the missile.
Source: The Pioneer
