Balasore: India's surface-to-air missile Akash was test fired twice from the Interim Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur-on-Sea, 15 km from Balasore, on Saturday, defence sources said.
The sleek 5.6 meter missile, with a range of 25 km, was fired from a mobile launcher at 1230 hrs IST and then again at 1235 hrs IST, targeting a moving object attached to a pilotless target aircraft (PTA), the sources said.
Akash is being developed as part of the country's guided missile development programme by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The 700 kg sophisticated missile, which can carry a warhead of 60 kg, uses an integral ramjet propulsion system and has low reaction time. It can track 100 targets simultaneously with onboard radar.
It can handle multiple targets with its command and guidance system.
It operated in conjunction with the indegenously built Rajendra sureveillance and engagement radar developed by the Hyderabad-based Electronic Research and Development Establishment (ERDE).
The radar is capable of tracking 64 targets and guide upto 12 missiles simultaneously, the sources added.
ITR sources said prior to the testfire of the missile, Pilotless Target Aircraft (PTA) was successfully test flown from the ITR and the object dropped from the unmanned vehicle was targeted twice by the Akash missile from the base.
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