JOIN USThe Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian armed forces on Friday morning successfully conducted twin tests of nuclear capable Akash missile from the Interim Test Range located at Chandipur in Balasore district of Odisha.
Sources said that the two indigenously developed missiles, described as the air force version of Akash, were fired from a mobile launcher parked in launch pad number three of the Defence Research and Development Organisation run premier missile testing centre in quick succession at 12/07 and 12/12 hours.
During both the tests, the surface of air missile hit its target, a pilot less microlite aircraft successfully.
The twin tests were to be conducted on Thursday but were posponed at last minute because of the technical snags.
The Akash missile has been test launched from the Odisha facility for six times in the last nine days. A similar twin test was conducted on May 28 of which one was successful. Before that the missile was successfully test launched on May 24 and 26. All the six tests were routine defence exercises.
Akash, a short range missile which can hit a target at a distance of 25 kilometres carrying both nuclear as well as conventional warheads up to 60 kg has already been inducted into Indian armed forces, sources in Defence Research and Development Organisation said.