In a major upgrade in the country’s air defence shield, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully completed user evaluation trials of the Akash-NG (Next Generation) missile
system, paving the way for its induction into the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Officials said the latest round of trials saw the Akash-NG meet all provisional staff qualitative requirements, destroying aerial targets at varying ranges and altitudes including fast, low-flying and high-altitude profiles near the border. All mission elements, such as the multi-function radar, command-and-control unit and missile launch vehicle, were developed indigenously in collaboration with industry partners.
The Akash-NG represents a significant leap over the earlier Akash and Akash Prime variants. Designed to counter fast, manoeuvrable, low radar cross-section aerial threats, the new system is lighter, sleeker and canisterised for easier transport and rapid deployment. Its range has been extended to about 70-80 km with a faster reaction time, enhanced electronic counter-counter measures and the ability to engage multiple targets simultaneously.
The original Akash, developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) launched in the late 1980s under Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, is a short to medium-range surface-to-air missile with an engagement envelope of roughly 25-30 km. Akash Prime later added an indigenous active RF seeker to improve end-phase accuracy, particularly in high-altitude and cold conditions. The IAF inducted Akash in 2014, followed by the Army in 2015, with DRDO maintaining that about 96% of the system is indigenous. In 2020, the government cleared exports amid interest from friendly nations.
Defence experts point out that the extended reach and improved interception capability of Akash-NG strengthen India’s ability to blunt hostile aerial and missile threats, including Pakistan’s Shaheen series of ballistic missiles, which range from short- to intermediate-range nuclear-capable systems.
India’s focus on a layered air defence grid sharpened after past cross-border hostilities, when the indigenous Akash and the Russian-origin S-400 systems were deployed to thwart enemy attacks. DRDO has since followed a structured development cycle for Akash-NG, from developmental and user-assisted trials to the just-concluded user evaluation phase, with the first test of the new-gen missile conducted off the Odisha coast on January 25, 2021. A successful interception against a fast, low-flying unmanned aerial target in January 2024 opened the way for full-scale user trials.
