New Delhi. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has finally decided to home on the indigenous Akash Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) to protect its airbases.

Chief Controller in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Dr Prahlada (uses one name) told India Strategic in an interview that the all-weather, multi-target missile was accepted by the IAF recently after nine successful field trials, including a ripple fire in the electronic clutter. Further tests were likely but more for practice and building user awareness and confidence.

Initially, the air force would take two squadrons, and later, it should have another five squadrons.

He said that the Indian Army had also accepted the missile as effective but some modifications in their transport mode were being worked out to its specifications. The IAF units would be on Tatra trucks, built by the public sector BEML, while the army fire units would on T-72 tank chassis.

Akash, meaning sky in Hindi, can be ferried by air, road or rail.

Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal F H Major also told India Strategic that IAF would be inducting the Akash missile as area defence weapons as part of a multi-layered approach.

Akash has an effective range of 25 km, extendable to 30 km, but as hostile aircraft fire from long range these days, a layered approach is essential to neutralize them as far away as possible.

Akash is an all -weather, 24 x 7, SAM capable of remote or autonomous management with advanced Electronic Counter Counter Meassures (ECCM) capability. In the recent trials, conducted before IAF and Army observers, the experimental clutter created to stray it off its course, had no impact on the course of the missile.

IAF has already asked short-listed a version of the Israeli Barak medium range (MR SAM) missile which would be capable of precision-engaging hostile aircraft till a distance of 70 km. The Indian government has sanctioned US$ 2.5 billion for the indigenous production of this system in collaboration between the Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and DRDO.

IAF has also asked for the quick reaction Spyder missile, which is also from Israel, as a mid-range interceptor.

All these missiles would be capable of engaging hostile low-level aircraft and missiles with precision.

The proposal however is stuck due to certain procedural problems, although the same missile is also cleared for use by the Indian Navy in a slightly different version.

New Generation technologies are being used both in the Akash and Barak, thanks to the collaboration offers now coming from worldwide.

Dr Prahlada said that there was a time when DRDO had to fabricate even its nuts and bolts.

“Today, 14 countries including the US, Russia, Germany, France, UK and Israel had offered the best of their technologies, some of which we really need as that cuts the development time.”

A distinguished and respected scientist who is also the interface between the DRDO and the Indian armed forces for induction of their needs, Dr Prahlada said that Commercially Available Off the Shelf (COTS) components were the order of the day, and now that technology denial regimes against India were largely going or gone, their acquisition would help save even money as these should be cheaper.

In fact, commercial availability of technologies and components now was one of the main reasons for scrapping the indigenous Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).

The late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi encouraged development of indigenous missiles, and a coordinated plan was started in 1983 under Mr A P J Abdul Kalam as the Chairman of the Programme Management Board of IGDMP. A space scientist from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), he was well aware of the propulsion and homing of projectiles. He was not only one of the founding fathers of the Indian missile programme but also became the President of India later.

Dr Kalam also emphasized the importance of stealth, super computers and precision and that direction is well integrated into the Indian missile programme now.

Dr Prahlada declined to mention what components India would specifically acquire from abroad, pointing out that every little thing was important.

“A missile has to have steady, designated course and must acquire the target for the latter’s destruction.

Propulsion and homing, both are equally important for precision engagement.”

Indian missiles use standard solid fuel propellants with variations as required. They fire quickly and ensure that a projectile or rocket is on a steady, set course. Akash uses ramjet - rocket propulsion for the sustainer phase, while for target acquisition, it uses the Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL)-made Rajendra phased array radar.

The hi-tech precision radar is the heart of the missile system, which uses sophisticated computers and secure, indigenous software for connectivity and precision engagement of the target to kill it.

As for the missile’s production, Dr Prahlada said that 90 per cent of the missile components would be made by private companies, and “we are doing every thing to encourage their involvement.” The integration of the system though would be carried out by the state-run Bharat Dynamics Ltd., (BDL).

Nearly a dozen private Indian companies have been assigned production of missile parts, and it should take a couple of years to formally induct the required numbers of squadrons.

Dr Prahlada said that the main responsibility of DRDO was to develop a system. As the designs are modular, the user and manufacturers would be able to stretch and expand the capabilities, upgrading as newer technologies are available during user trials.

He described Akash as a “multidirectional, multi-target” system with a kill probability of 88 per cent with a single shot, and 95 per cent with twin- fire. The missile can neutralize high performance air targets like tactical strike aircraft, UAVs, bombers, high altitude reconnaissance aircraft and armed helicopters.

Akash is made of: Integral Ramjet Propulsion, Command Guidance Unit, Digital Autopilot, Onboard Power Supply, Switchable Guidance Antenna System, System Arming and Detonation Mechanism and a 55-kilo Warhead with prefabricated tungsten alloy cubes.

The missile is 5.8 mtres in length with a diameter of 350mm and a wing span of 1105 mm. It weights 720 kg and flies at twice the speed of sound, or Mach 2.