Surface-to-air missile 'Akash' successfully test fired; has a 30-km range

Surface-to-air missile 'Akash' on Tuesday was successfully test fired for the first time with a home-made radio frequency seeker against target Banshee.

The missile was launched from the Launch Complex-III at ITR Chandipur in Odisha, at 13:38 hours, according to a Defence Ministry statement.

"The missile can target aircrafts flying at 18 km altitude and has a range of 30 km. The radars, telemetry and electro-optical systems along the coast have tracked and monitored all the health parameters of the missile," the statement read.

"With this success, India has achieved the capability of making any type of surface-to-air missile," the statement added.

The launch operations were witnessed by Director General (Missiles), DRDO and Scientific Adviser to Raksha Mantri (SA to RM) Dr. G Satheesh Reddy; Director DRDL, MSR Prasad; Program Director, G Chandra Mouli; Director ITR, Dr. BK Das and other top DRDO scientists.