NEW DELHI: A high altitude variant of the Akash Prime missile, the upgraded variant of the Akash Weapon System for the Indian Army, has been successfully tested, destroying two aerial high speed unmanned targets in Ladakh.
After the Akash Prime missile test on Wednesday, a couple more missile tests were carried out on Thursday.
The Ministry of Defence announced that the Short-Range Ballistic Missiles - Prithvi-II and Agni-I - were successfully test-fired from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, Odisha. The launches validated all operational and technical parameters.
These tests were conducted under the aegis of the Strategic Forces Command.
The successful validation of the indigenously designed and developed Akash Prime Weapon System was carried out by the Army Air Defence and DRDO, in conjunction with defence PSUs, such as Bharat Dynamics Limited & Bharat Electronics Limited, and other industry partners.
The weapon system is customised to operate at an altitude above 4,500 metres (over 14,000 ft) and has the latest upgrades including an indigenously developed radio frequency seeker.
The trials were done as part of the First of Production Model (FoPM) firing trial and will further enable timely induction and enhance the air defence potential in high-altitude frontiers of the country.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Thursday said, "Based on the operational feedbacks from users, various upgrades are made to improve the operational effectiveness, demonstrating the advantage of the ecosystem created for the indigenous weapon system."
This achievement carries added significance as it follows the exceptional performance of India's indigenously developed air defence systems during Operation Sindoor.
It marks a major step forward for the nation's missile development programmes, which are now gaining increasing attention in the global defence market.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented the Indian Army, DRDO, and the industry on this remarkable achievement. He described the success as a significant boost to India's air defence capabilities, particularly for meeting high-altitude operational requirements.
Secretary, Department of Defence R&D, and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat congratulated the teams associated with the successful test and stated that the missile has met the country's critical air defence requirements for high-altitude.
Earlier, as The New Indian Express reported, in April 2024, the Strategic Forces Command (SFC), along with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), conducted the successful flight-test of the new generation ballistic missile Agni-Prime from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.
SFC is for command and control and employment of India's nuclear assets under the triad (Army, Navy and Air Force).
Agni Prime is a two-stage canisterized solid propellant nuclear-capable ballistic missile equipped with a dual redundant navigation and guidance system. The canister mode assembly of the missiles facilitates rapid deployment, storage and mobility. The missile has a range capability of 1,000-2,000 km and represents an advanced variant of the Agni class of missiles.
The test flights are significant steps towards the operationalisation of the new weapons system.
The Agni series of missiles are part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Project (IGMDP) initiated by the MoD in 1982. Over time, the Agni series has undergone further development to achieve extended ranges and improved mobility.
The series includes Agni-1 (with a range of 700 km), Agni-2 (with a range of 2,000 km), Agni-3 (with a range of 2,500 km), Agni-4 (with a range of 3,500 km), and Agni-5, which can strike targets up to 5,000 km away.