Akash-NG Missile Destroys High-Speed Unmanned Aerial Target

New Delhi: A new generation Akash (Akash-NG) missile successfully tracked and brought down a high-speed unmanned aerial target at very low altitude, the defence ministry said on Friday. Akash-NG has a range of around 80 km.

The Akash-NG is a state-of-the-art missile system capable of intercepting high speed, agile aerial threats. The successful flight test has paved the way for user trials by the armed forces.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted the flight test from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur off the Odisha coast.

During the flight test, the target was successfully intercepted by the weapon system and destroyed. The success has validated the functioning of the complete weapon system consisting of the missile with indigenously developed radio frequency seeker, launcher, multi-function radar and command, control and communication system, it said.

"The system performance was validated through the data captured by a number of radars, the telemetry and electro optical tracking system deployed by the ITR, Chandipur," the defence ministry said.

The flight-test was witnessed by senior officials from DRDO, Indian Air Force (IAF), Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).

Defence minister Rajnath Singh  complimented the DRDO, IAF and the defence public sector units for the successful flight est. The development of the system will further enhance the air defence capabilities of the country, he said.