BALASORE (India), May 28: India test-fired two indigenously developed surface-to-air anti-aircraft `Akash’ missiles from the integrated test range at Chandipur near here, reports said on Monday.

The double test-fire came after trials of the missile with a range of 25km on May 24 and 26. The missile is capable of carrying a warhead of 60kg.

“The flight trial of two Akash missiles were conducted in quick succession from road mobile launchers at launchpad-3 in the ITR at about 1102 hours,” defence sources said.“During the trial, the missiles were aimed at intercepting a floating object supported by a pilotless target aircraft flown from launch complex-II at a definite altitude over the sea,” the sources said.

“It was a routine user trial conducted by the Indian defence forces after the completion of developmental test and induction into the defence armoury,” an official of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said.

Akash, an anti-aircraft defence system, could simultaneously engage several targets with Rajendra radar developed by electronics and radar development establishment, a DRDO laboratory in Bangalore.

The radar carries out surveillance, tracks the target, acquires it and guides the missile towards it.

Experts have compared the Akash missile system with the American MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system. They claim that similar to the MIM-104, Akash is capable of neutralising aerial targets such as unmanned aerial vehicles, fighter jets, cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles.

By arrangement with Times of India