India testfires Akash missile

BALASORE (Orissa)—India Monday successfully test fired thrice its medium range surface-to-air missile Akash from a base in Orissa, defence sources said. The indigenously developed missile, which has a range of 27 km with an effective ceiling of 15 km, was test fired first at 12.50 p.m., for the second time at 1 p.m. and again at 1.05 p.m. from the Integrated Test Range of Chandipur (ITR) in the costal district of Balasore.
According to IANS, Earlier, Lakshya, the pilot less target aircraft (PTA), was test flown from the ITR at 12.41 p.m. and Akash was fired at an object attached to it. The missile, which uses an Integral Ramjet Rocket Propulsion System with a 700 kg launch weight, can carry a 60 kg warhead.
The test firing was a routine test to judge its accuracy, the sources said. The ITR is located 230 km from state capital Bhubaneswar. Akash, India’s surface-to-air missile, was test-fired thrice within a span of 17 minutes from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur-on-sea, Balasore (Orissa).
The multi-target missile, with a striking range of 25 km was directed at targets, suspended from a Pilotless Target Aircraft (PTA) which was flown earlier, defence sources were quoted as having said. The sleek 5.6 metre long missile, with a launch weight of 700 kg and capability to carry a warhead of 60 kg, blasted off from mobile launcher.—Agencies