Syllabus:
GS3: Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.
Context:
Recently, the Indian Army has successfully conducted trials of the indigenously developed Akash Prime air defence system at an altitude of over 15,000 feet in the Ladakh sector.
More on the News
- The trials were conducted by the Army Air Defence and senior officials from the Defence Research and Development Organisation.
- The latest version of the Akash system would form the third and fourth regiments of the Akash air Defence Systems in the Indian Army.
- Akash Prime made its first successful test flight from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha, in September 2021, and the missile intercepted and destroyed an unmanned aerial target mimicking enemy aircraft in its maiden test flight.
Akash Prime Air Defence System
- The Akash Prime is an advanced, indigenously developed, short-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system designed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
- It is an upgraded variant of the original Akash missile system and is designed to protect vital areas and points from aerial threats.
- In comparison to its precursor, the Akash system, Akash Prime is equipped with an indigenous active Radio Frequency (RF) seeker for improved accuracy.
- Besides, other enhancements ensure more reliable performance under low-temperature environments at higher altitudes.
Akash System
- The Akash air defence system is a medium-range, surface-to-air missile platform designed to protect mobile, semi-mobile and static military installations from a range of aerial threats.
- It can be deployed at heights up to 4,500 metres and can take down targets at a distance of around 25-30 kilometres.
- Akash Weapon System can simultaneously engage multiple targets in group mode or autonomous mode.
- It has been developed by DRDO.
- The weapon system has been configured on mobile platforms and is operational with the Indian Air Force (IAF) as well as the Indian Army (IA).