BALASORE: An Akash missile fell down during user-specific trial from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) off the Odisha coast, on Monday. The missile reportedly fell immediately after taking off from the road mobile launcher. It was the missile’s third trial of the six-trial series.The Army had planned two trials of the missile back-to-back in a gap of a minute to gauge its effectiveness and killing efficiency. As claimed by the DRDO, the Akash missile system has a passive phased array radar called Rajendra which is capable of tracking as many as 64 targets and controlling up to 12 missiles simultaneously. Sources said though the two missiles were lined up for tests, the first one fell down on the sand after blasting off from the launcher. The second one fired five minutes later was, however, successful. “The first missile fell down due to technical snags in the system. The launcher did not get required command in time to fire the missile, for which heat generation to have initial thrust was not enough to push the missile upward. Scientists are looking for a solution to the faults and hope it could be sorted out before the next trial on Wednesday,” the source said. Both the missiles were test-fired by the Army at about 11.02 am and 11.07 am from the specially-made launch pad near launching complex-III of the ITR at Chandipur-on-sea. The missiles had to target the toe bodies suspended from the pilot-less target aircraft (PTA). Earlier, two Akash missiles were successfully tested from the same test range on May 24 and May 26. Authorities of the ITR claimed that of the two, one was developmental trial and another user trial. ITR Director MVKV Prasad said one was successful while the data, retrieved from telemetry stations and radars, of the other trial were being analysed. He, however, refused to give details about failure of the missile. None of the Army personnel commented on the failure. Even as the DRDO claims that the Akash is the only system of its kind available globally and several countries have evinced interest to procure the anti-aircraft weapon, a scientist associated with this project said the system had a problem with its radar for which the Army had been refusing for years to induct it. Though the development of Akash missile took place during 1990s under the country’s Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), it was inducted into the Army after nearly two decades. While its land variant was inducted in the Army in 2008, the Air Force version was handed over to IAF on March 3 this year. “Delay in induction of a missile proves its capability and efficiency,” said a defence expert.
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