Akash Missile System achieve exceptional capabilities in the operation Sindoor 2025

Akash Missile System demonstrates exceptional capabilities in the operation Sindoor launched by the Indian Armed Forces aftermath of the deadly Pahalgam targeted killing by terrorists

Akash Missile

Akash is a medium-range, mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It is designed to intercept and destroy various aerial threats such as fighter jets, cruise missiles, and air-to-surface missiles at ranges up to 45 km.

The Indian Army and Air Force operate the system, with production handled by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). Key components like the radar, missile launcher, and command systems are developed by BEL, Tata Advanced Systems, and Larsen & Toubro.

Each Akash battery includes:

• One Rajendra 3D PESA radar
• Four launchers, each carrying three missiles
• A Tactical Command and Control Center

The system can track up to 64 targets and engage up to 12 simultaneously. It uses a 60 kg high-explosive, pre-fragmented warhead with a proximity fuse to destroy its targets.

Akash is fully mobile, capable of protecting both stationary assets and moving convoys. It is mounted on both wheeled and tracked vehicles for flexibility. Although primarily an air defence system, it has also been tested for missile defence roles.

Akash Weapon System Overview

Each Akash battery includes:

• 4 self-propelled launchers (with 3 Akash missiles each)
• 1 Battery-Level Radar (BLR) – the Rajendra radar
• 1 Battery Control Centre (BCC)

Two such batteries form a Squadron (Air Force), while up to four batteries form a Regiment or Group (Army). Both formations also include a Group Control Centre (GCC), which acts as the central command and control hub. The GCC connects all BCCs and coordinates with the broader air defense system in the region. It also uses the Central Acquisition Radar (CAR) for long-range early warning. Alternatively, individual batteries can operate with a Battery Surveillance Radar (BSR) — a more affordable 2D radar with a range over 100 km.

Radar & Tracking Capabilities

• The 3D CAR begins tracking targets automatically at around 150 km, providing early warning.
• The BSR begins tracking at 100 km.
• The GCC can track up to 200 targets simultaneously, performing radar data fusion and correlation.
• Target position is then sent to the Rajendra radar, which acquires and tracks targets for missile engagement.

Each Rajendra radar can:

• Track 64 targets
• Guide 8 missiles simultaneously
• Engage up to 4 targets at once (2 missiles per target)

A single Akash missile has a kill probability of 88%. Firing two missiles, 5 seconds apart, raises the kill probability to 98.5%.

The system is highly mobile and can be deployed via road, rail, or air.

Missile Specifications

• Type: Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM)
• Range: Up to 25 km
• Altitude: Up to 20 km
• Speed: Supersonic, approx. Mach 2.5
• Weight: 720 kg
• Length: 5.78 m
• Diameter: 35 cm
• Guidance: Command guidance throughout flight
• Engine: Ramjet propulsion, allowing consistent speed without deceleration
• Platform: Can be launched from tracked or wheeled vehicles
• Self-Destruct: Equipped with a safety self-destruct feature

Radar Variants

• Rajendra Radar: Advanced phased array radar with over 4,000 elements, capable of tracking in range, height, and azimuth. It has powerful ECCM features and is supported by digital signal processors and radar data processors.
  • Air Force variant: Mounted on a BMP-2 chassis (Rajendra-II)
  • Army variant: Mounted on a T-72 chassis (Rajendra-III)
• Battery Surveillance Radar (BSR): Used by the Army, this radar is mounted on a tracked vehicle and can detect and track up to 40 targets within a range of 100 km.

Akash Missile Variants

Akash Mark-I

• Development: First test flight in 1990; development flights continued until March 1997.
• Operational Milestone: In 2005, two Akash missiles successfully intercepted two fast-moving aerial targets in simultaneous engagement mode.
• The 3D Central Acquisition Radar (3D-CAR) proved effective in group mode during these trials.
• Exercise Astrashakti 2023: Demonstrated the missile’s ability to simultaneously engage four aerial targets at a maximum range of ~30 km, using a single fire unit. The targets approached from the same direction in close formation and attacked from multiple angles.

Akash-1S

• Developed in response to the armed forces’ demand for greater accuracy using a seeker-based guidance system.
• Features an indigenous active RF seeker that complements command guidance, enhancing single-shot kill probability.
• Successfully tested on 25 and 27 May 2019 at the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha.
• Strike Range: 18–30 km
• Warhead: 60 kg
• Can be deployed from both tracked and wheeled platforms for enhanced mobility.
• Optimized for targeting fighter aircraft and drones with greater precision.

Akash Prime

• First tested on 27 September 2021, successfully intercepting an unmanned aerial target simulating an enemy aircraft.
• Based on the Akash SAM but upgraded for:
  • High-altitude and low-temperature operational capability
  • Enhanced RF seeker with 360° engagement capability
• Includes:
  • Long-range surveillance radar
  • Target and missile tracking radar
  • Troop control centre
  • Launch systems

Akash-NG (New Generation)

• Approved in September 2016 as a successor to Akash and Akash-1S, with significant upgrades.
• Designed to counter saturation attacks with faster reaction time and improved mobility.
• Uses a dual-pulse solid rocket motor instead of a ramjet, resulting in a lighter structure and increased range (up to 70–80 km).
• Incorporates:
  • Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Multi-Function Radar (MFR)
  • Optical proximity fuse for improved hit accuracy
• Offers improved targeting precision, better resistance to electronic countermeasures, and modernized operational capability.

Trials

• Dec 2007: Indian Air Force (IAF) completed successful user trials at Chandipur, Odisha. Demonstrated multiple target handling in C4I environment. Trials also conducted in Gwalior (ECCM tests) and Pokhran (mobility).
• May–June 2012: IAF conducted 5 user-specific tests at Chandipur. Some launches failed to take off, but back-to-back successful firings validated operational efficacy.
• Feb 2014: Indian Army conducted pre-induction trials; missiles successfully hit approaching and receding targets.
• Apr–May 2014: IAF conducted several tests from LC-3 at Chandipur. Mixed results: some missiles failed to take off, but others hit PTA and para-barrel targets.
• Aug 2014: Successful test from LC-3 at Chandipur confirmed operational reliability.
• Nov 2014: 5-day user training trials by IAF completed successfully, meeting all parameters.
• Apr 2015: Army conducted six successful user trials targeting PTA Lakshya, UAV Banshee, and para-barrel targets.
• Jan 2016: IAF conducted 3 test rounds for flight consistency and serviceability at Chandipur.
• Mar 2016: Akash showcased during IAF’s Iron Fist 2016 exercise.
• Nov 2017: IAF and Army conducted several successful firings at Chandipur. Army also tested a version with an indigenous RF seeker against a Banshee drone.
• Dec 2020: Amid Indo-China border tensions, IAF conducted 10 successful firings at Suryalanka, achieving multiple direct kills.
• Dec 2023: During Exercise Astraskati, IAF fired 4 Akash missiles simultaneously from 2 launchers of a single unit, destroying 4 UAVs at 30 km—world’s first such feat using command guidance.
• Mar 2024: Indian Army’s 128 AD Missile Regiment (Western Command) carried out successful Akash missile tests.

Status

✈️ Indian Air Force (IAF)

• kash Mk1 squadrons and 3 Akash Prime squadrons are currently in service.
• Each squadron includes 8 launchers.
• 4 additional Akash Prime squadrons are currently being inducted.

🪖 Indian Army

• 2 Akash Mk1 regiments are in service, each with 24 launchers.
• 2 Akash Prime regiments are on order.

Units operating Akash include:

• 128 Air Defence Missile Regiment
• 27 Air Defence Missile Regiment (based at Amritsar Airfield)

Operational history

Since 2013, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has deployed eight Akash-1 squadrons.

• Six of these are positioned along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Northeast India, covering bases like Hasimara, Jorhat, and Tezpur.
• The other two are stationed at Maharajpur (Gwalior) and Lohegaon (Pune).

By 22 December 2023, the IAF had inducted three Akash Prime squadrons, equipped with Rajendra Mk-II radars. Additional squadrons were scheduled for induction by the end of the year.

The Indian Army deployed its first Akash regiment in mid-2015. In response to heightened tensions during the 2020 China–India standoff, the Army deployed the Akash air defence system in Ladakh along the LAC.

On 12 May 2025, during a military briefing, the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) praised the stellar performance of the Akash missile system during Operation Sindoor.
He highlighted its key role in neutralizing enemy drones and missiles launched by Pakistan.