Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

India`s test fires surface to air Akash missile

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, Nov 26, IRNA -- India`s indigenously built medium range 
multi target surface-to-air missile `Akash` was test-fired on Friday 
from the Interim Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur-on-sea, about 14 km in 
Balasore in the Eastern Indian State of Orissa, official sources said.
According to Doordarshan, India`s official TV channel, the multi- 
target sophisticated missile, having a range of 25-km, fired from 
separate mobile launchers at 12:30 p.m. 
Earlier, Lakshya, the Pilotless target Aircraft (PLA), was test 
fired from the ITR at 12:10 p.m. (local time) and Akash was fired 
attached to the PTA as its target. 
The missile weighing about 700 kg, it has the capacity to carry a 
60-kg payload has a range of 15 km, the sources said. 
The current thrust of the test was on its guidance system, the 
sources said, adding, that the development was also aimed at 
increasing its speed, maximum altitude and extend the range up to 60 
km. 
Six more rounds of similar trials of the missile could take 
place shortly, they said. 
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
and has a low reaction time. 
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