India Test Fires Akash Missile Twice From Odisha

India successfully conducted two tests of its medium-range surface-to-air missile Akash from a defense base in Odisha on Monday, May 28, 2012.

The indigenously developed missile, which has a range of about 27 km and an effective ceiling of 15 km, was test-fired from the Integrated Test Range of Chandipur in the costal district of Balasore, around 230 km from Bhubaneswar, as part of the user trials.

"Both the tests were successful," MVKV Prasad, director of the test range, said. The Akash missile had been successfully tested from the same range on Thursday and Saturday.

Akash has a launch weight of 720 kg and carries a 55 kg payload. It can fly at a speed of up to Mach 2.5 and climb up to an altitude of 18 km. It can operate autonomously, and engage and neutralize different aerial targets simultaneously.

It can be launched from static or mobile platforms providing flexible deployment.