• India has strongly demonstrated the firepower of its Akash surface-to-air (SAM) weapon system, where a single firing unit simultaneously engaged and destroyed four unmanned targets during the recent Exercise Astrashakti 2023.
• India became first country to demonstrate the capability of engagement of 4 aerial targets simultaneously at 25Km ranges by command guidance using single firing unit.
• The Akash firing unit was deployed with Firing Level Radar (FLR), Firing Control Centre (FCC), and two Akash Air Force Launcher (AAFL) launchers having five armed missiles.

 ABOUT AKASH

• AKASH is a Short Range Surface to Air Missile System to protect vulnerable areas and points from air attacks.
• It can simultaneously engage Multiple Targets in Group Mode or Autonomous Mode.
• It has built-in Electronic Counter-Counter Measures (ECCM) features.
• The entire weapon system has been configured on mobile platforms.
• The Akash Weapon System is indigenously designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and produced by defence public sector units along with other industries.
• Akash has been deployed by the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army for the last decade.
• The Akash weapon system is also one of the indigenous defence systems that have bagged orders from international customers.
• Features-
  • Range of Operation :     5 km to 25 km
  • Altitude of Operation :     100 m up to 20 km
  • Guidance System            :           Command Guidance
  • Target types :           Helicopters, Fighter aircrafts, UAVs etc.
  • Fully automatic with quick response time from target detection to kill.
  • Open system architecture ensures adaptability to existing and futuristic Air Defence environments.
  • High immunity against active and passive jamming.
  • Road and rail transportable with quick mobilization and deployment capabilities.