New Delhi: In a major boost for the Make in India in Defence, Bharat Dynamics Limited has signed a deal for supplying two regiments of upgraded version of the Akash air defence missile systems to the Indian Army. The deal for the third and fourth regiments of the missile system has been signed with BDL and would cost over Rs 6000 crore. "This would be the upgraded versions of the missile system with seekers and give more accuracy to Indian Army while taking out any offensive enemy aircraft or drone on the border," top defence sources told ANI.
The clearance of these two missile regiments can be considered to be a victory for Make in India initiative as these were earlier planned to be imported from abroad but the Narendra Modi government decided to induct the indigenous weapon system only. The upgraded Akash missile systems have been enabled to be effective on high altitude frontiers such as the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in north.
In comparison to the existing Akash System, the upgraded version is equipped with an indigenous active Radio Frequency (RF) seeker for improved accuracy.
Other improvements also ensure more reliable performance under low-temperature environments at higher altitudes. A modified ground system of the existing Akash weapon system has also been used.
The Akash system has further enhanced the confidence of the users (Indian Army and Indian Air Force). The missile can be deployed at heights up to 4,500 metres and can take down targets at a distance of around 25 to 30 km.
—ANI