TSAMTO, July 13. On July 8, the Indian state-owned company Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) announced the conclusion of a contract for the production and supply of additional Akash anti-aircraft guided missiles of national development to the Indian Air Force.
The contract value was 4.99 billion rubles. Indian rupees ($67 million). Other details of the agreement were not disclosed.
BDL is the main integrator of Akash missiles. The 5.8 m long and 350 mm diameter missile system is equipped with a non-contact fuse, a 55 kg fragmentation warhead with ready-made striking elements and, allegedly, allows hitting various air targets at a range of up to 30 km and altitudes of up to 20 km. The rocket is equipped with a ramjet engine and is capable of reaching speeds of up to 2.5 m. The launch mass of the missiles is 710 kg, the declared probability of hitting the target is 88%.
The radio-electronic equipment used in the Akash air defense system and the multifunctional three-coordinate radar with a phased array "Rajendra" are manufactured by the state company Bharat Electronics Limited, and private manufacturers Larsen & Toubro and Tata Power SED supply launchers on tracked and wheeled chassis. The complexes are designed in versions for the Indian Air Force and SV.
The Akash battery usually consists of four launchers, each of which houses three missiles, the Rajendra radar with a passive phased array antenna with electronic scanning developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), the battery command post (Troop Control Center – TCC).
Each division is capable of simultaneously detecting and tracking up to 64 air targets at ranges up to 150 km using the 3D Central Acquisition Radar (3D Central Acquisition Radar). Tracking data is transmitted to the Group's Control Center (GCC), which classifies targets by transmitting data to battery-powered fire control radars (BLR).
The new batch of Akash missiles will enter service with eight divisions of the Air Force, for which about 850 missiles were previously purchased. The SAMs were officially adopted in 2015 to replace the S-125M "Pechora", "Osa" and 9K38 "Igla"complexes.
Six Akash divisions are deployed in the north-east of India near the country's border with China, two more are deployed to ensure the security of air force bases in the central and western parts of India.
In December 2020, the federal government of India approved the export of Akash air defense systems to a number of countries that have expressed interest in acquiring them, including the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.
