Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

India`s test fires surface to air Akash missile twice

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, March 29, IRNA -- India`s indigenously built medium range 
multi-target surface-to-air missile `Akash` was test-fired on Monday 
from the Interim Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur-on-sea, about 13 km in 
Balasore in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, official sources said.
The multi-target sophisticated missile, having a range of 25-km, 
fired from separate mobile launchers at 3:55 p.m and 3:57 p.m. (local 
time), reported Press Trust of India. 
The missile, weighing about 650 kg, has the capacity to carry a 
50-kg payload. 
Akash, one of the five missiles under various stages of 
development by India`s Defense and Research and Development 
Organization (DRDO), has the capability to strike several targets 
simultaneously. 
The missile, often compared to US`s `Patriot` missile, has a 
state-of-art radar named `Rajendra` which can keep track of 64 
aircraft within a range of 40 to 60 km. 
The missile uses integrated two-stage ramjet propulsion 
technology. 
2160/AH/210 
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