The man-portable, anti-tank missile being test-fired.
A new generation of Akash surface-to-air missile was successfully flight-tested on Wednesday by the DRDO from an integrated test range off the Odisha coast in a boost to air defence capabilities.
Separately, the DRDO also successfully flight-tested an indigenously developed low weight man-portable anti-tank guided missile, paving the way for its production for the Army.
The Defence Ministry said the Akash missile was test-fired at around 12:45 p.m. from a land-based platform and that the “flawless performance” of its weapons system was confirmed by the complete flight data.
“Once deployed, the Akash-NG weapon system will prove to be a force multiplier for the air defence capability of the IAF,” the Ministry said.
It is learnt that the new variant of the Akash missile (Akash-NG) has a slightly better range compared to the original version that can strike targets at a distance of around 25 km.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO, the IAF and production agencies Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for the test-firing of the missile.
On the man-portable missile, the Defence Ministry said the test had validated the minimum range successfully.