The Akash Missile Medium Range

The Akahsh Missile 55 kg Medium Range

The Akash system is a medium range surface-to-air missile with multi-target engagement capability. It can carry a 55-kg multiple warhead capable of targeting five aircraft simultaneously up to 25 km and is said to be comparable to the US Patriot as an air defence missile. It uses high-energy solid propellant for the booster and ram-rocket propulsion for the sustainer phase.

The propulsion system provides higher level of energy with minimum mass, compared to conventional solid/ liquid rocket motor, which has better performance with minimum weight of the missile. It has a dual mode guidance, initially on command mode from phased array radar and later radar homing guidance with unique software developed for high accuracy. The phased array radar provides capability for multiple target tracking and simultaneous deployment of missiles to attack four targets at the same time, in each battery.

Another missile under IGMDP development is the Nag, an antiarmor weapon employing sensor fusion technologies for flight guidance first tested in November 1990. The Nag is a third generation ‘fire-and-forget’ anti-tank missile developed in India with a range of 4 to 8 km. Nag uses Imaging Infra-Red (IIR) guidance with day and night capability.

Mode of launch for the IIR seeker is LOBL (Lock on before Launch). Nag was successfully test fired in August 2008 marking the completion of the developmental tests. Nag is expected to be the first weapon of its kind to be inducted into the army by December 2009. The Army urgently needs the more advanced Nag to improve kill probability as the missile using a high explosive warhead to penetrate the armor in modern tanks.

IAF to deploy Akash missile to counter Chinese