Akash missile. Photo courtesy DRDO
Hyderabad: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has handed over Authority Holding Sealed Particulars (AHSP) of the Akash Weapon System (Indian Army Version) to Missile Systems Quality Assurance Agency (MSQAA), the Ministry of Defence stated today.
The transfer process will enable the roadmap for future missile systems, which are under production. Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat congratulated the ‘Project Akash’ team for the first AHSP transfer from the Missile cluster to MSQAA “for such a complex system involving missile and multiple ground systems”. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the AHSP transfer as a landmark event.
The handing over was held at Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) here on December 3, 2022. DRDL, as a nodal agency, designed and developed the Akash weapon system. The technical specification and quality document and the drawing of complete weapon system elements were sealed and handed over by Project Akash to MSQAA as part of AHSP transfer.
Akash, which is a short-range surface-to-air missile system to protect vulnerable areas and vulnerable points from air attacks, is the first state-of-the-art indigenous surface-to-air missile system which has been with Armed Forces for nearly a decade defending the Indian skies and providing national security.
The Akash Weapon System can simultaneously engage multiple targets in group mode or autonomous mode. It has built-in Electronic Counter-Counter Measures (ECCM) features. DRDO stated the entire weapon system has been configured on mobile platforms. Akash Weapon Systems has been inducted and is operational with the Indian Air Force (IAF) as well as the Indian Army (IA).
It is inducted by the Indian Army and Indian Air Force with an order value worth Rs 30,000 crore, which is one of the largest single-system orders for an indigenous missile system.
Apart from DRDL, a number of other DRDO labs are involved in the development of the system. These include Research Centre Imarat; Electronics & Radar Development Establishment; Research & Development Establishment (Engineers); Integrated Test Range; Armament Research & Development Establishment; High Energy Materials Research Laboratory and Vehicles Research Development Establishment. The systems are produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited, Larsen & Toubro, Tata Advanced Systems Limited, Electronics Corporation of India Limited, BEML Limited along with Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and other industries partners.
– global bihari bureau
