The Indian Army conducted high-altitude testing of Akash Prime, which is an upgraded variant of the medium-range surface-to-air missile by the same first name, in mid-July. In a media statement, the Ministry of Defence said the missile had destroyed two aerial high-speed unmanned targets successfully in Ladakh.
The Prime is capable of simultaneously engaging multiple targets in group mode or autonomous mode, and it can be fired from locations slightly higher than 4,500 metres.
The missile has been developed for the army’s air defence unit, especially for deployment in mountainous areas along India’s border with China.
The Prime is different from the other Akash missiles on account of an indigenously built radio-frequency seeker, which takes over its movement after initial guidance, making the missile almost autonomous. Its aerial targets can include fighter jets and cruise missiles.
“The first-of-production-model firing trials” will enable timely induction and enhance air defence in high-altitude frontiers of the country, the ministry said after the
two-day testing.
Designed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Prime was earlier flight-tested by the sea in Odisha in 2021, when it hit an unmanned aerial target that mimicked “enemy aircraft”.
The Akash weapon system, configured for mobile platforms, aims to defend against air attacks, as seen during Operation Sindoor in May. The Indian Air Force uses the system, too.
Weapons expert and former chief executive officer of BrahMos Aerospace, Atul Rane, said the earlier launch platform of an Akash missile was up to 3,000 metres. The Prime has raised it by more than 1,500 metres.
“This is customised for high-altitude launchers, because more effort is needed by a missile to move through thin air.”
The Prime will make India’s northern borders less vulnerable to attacks from across the Himalayas, Rane said, adding that the testing of radars across the missile’s range in subzero temperatures would be the next step.
It is unclear if the process is underway or completed. The former DRDO scientist who once worked on the Akash programme himself, said: “India can design, develop and deploy any missile, but production is where we need speed.”
Barring a small quantity of imported components, the Prime is indigenous. Basic Akash missiles can engage targets at altitudes of up to 18 kilometres (18,000 metres), with radars covering 80-120 kilometres, according to an Indian company that makes them.
The next missile in the series is Akash NG (“new generation”), which has a longer horizontal-travel range than the Prime (30 kilometres) and a more advanced propulsion system.
Flight-trials have been done. Its high-altitude testing is pending. Over two days in late July, the DRDO also flight-tested Pralaya, a new high-precision solid propellant quasi-ballistic missile that can carry many types of warheads.
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 "A supersonic streak across the Himalayan sky")
