By IANS
New Delhi : After the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Indian Army too is hedging its bets on the indigenously developed Akash surface-to-air missile, saying it would test the weapon before deciding on its deployment.
“Akash has been tested for the IAF. We were not present at the trials,” Indian Army chief Gen. Deepak Kapoor said at a press conference here Monday.
“Some of our requirements are still to be met. Only after that will we try out the system,” Kapoor said of the army version of Akash, which the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has taken 20 years to develop against a target of 12 years.
At the same time, he did not deny media reports that the army had rejected the missile system.
While the IAF has initiated steps to induct a squadron-strength of the Akash, it too is unclear about the eventual numbers of the system it will operate.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a defence function last month, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major refused to commit himself to the eventual numbers of the missile the force would deploy, indicating he was not too happy with the system.
In fact, delays in operationalising the Akash had last year prompted the IAF to order the Israeli Spyder missile to plug gaps in its armoury.
At trials conducted for the IAF in December, the missile successively scored bull’s eye on five occasions spread over 10 days.
A senior IAF officer pointed out that this did not necessarily mean the IAF had accepted the missile.
“What we witnessed were trials conducted in a DRDO environment. We will now conduct trials in our own environment. Let’s see what emerges from that,” the officer told IANS, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Now, with the army too seemingly unhappy with Akash, it is clear that there is a disconnect between the armed forces and the DRDO, which claims the missile is ready to go into serial production and that it expects orders worth Rs.5 billion ($120 million) from the IAF this year.
According to Prahlada, chief controller of R&D at DRDO, “the development and successful user trials of the Akash missile by the army and air force (in December) is a major milestone in the country’s missile programme”.
He claimed that Akash was on a par with the best systems in the world, including the US Patriot system.
Weighing about 700 kg and three-and-a-half metres long, the missile can be ferried to operational areas by rail, road and air and made ready for use within 30 minutes of deployment, Prahlada said.
The missile, according to the scientist, can track and shoot down an enemy aircraft or a helicopter at the height of 25 km within 30 to 45 seconds of a threat being detected.