Why in the News?
- In the recent Exercise Astrashakti 2023, a single unit of the Akash weapon system successfully engaged and obliterated four unmanned targets simultaneously.
- This demonstration established India as the first country to exhibit the ability to engage four targets at such distances simultaneously using command guidance from a single firing unit.
About Akash Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) Defence System:
- It is a Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (SRSAM) Defence System to protect vulnerable areas and points from air attacks.
- It was indigenously designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
- Features:
- It can simultaneously engage multiple targets and destroy manoeuvring targets, including unmanned aerial vehicles, fighter aircraft, cruise missiles, and missiles launched from helicopters.
- It has built-in Electronic Counter-Counter Measures (ECCM) features.
- The entire weapon system has been configured to be launched from static or mobile platforms such as battle tanks and wheeled trucks, providing flexible deployment.
- It is road and rail transportable, with quick mobilisation and deployment capabilities.
- It can engage aerial targets up to a range of approximately 25 km.
- Altitude of Operation: 100 m up to 20 km
- Weight: 710 kg
- Guidance System: Command Guidance
- It is fully automatic, with a quick response time from target detection to kill.
- It has an open-system architecture that ensures adaptability to existing and futuristic air defence environments.
