India has shipped the first Akash weapon system battery to Armenia.
India Ships First Akash System To Armenia
India marks another milestone in its defence export as it shipped the first Akash weapon system battery to Armenia. This is the second missile system to have been exported. The Akash system, developed by the DRDO is a surface-to-air missile (SAM) which can hit targets like fighter jets, missiles (cruise, air-to-surface), drones and other aerial assets to a range of 25km.
Manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), each battery of Akash weapon system is accompanied by a single Rajendra 3D passive electronically scanned array radar and four launchers with three missiles each, all of which are interlinked. In 2022, Armenia inked a deal with India to procure 15 Akash missile systems worth around Rs 6,000 crore. It must be noted that Armenia has become the first foreign country to buy this missile system.
The Akash Missile system is highly mobile and can be deployed on both wheeled and tracked vehicles.
The BEL said it “contributed to this achievement by providing key Ground Support Equipment, including Surveillance Radars, Missile Guidance Radars, and C4I systems,”. Countries like Vietnam, Egypt and the Philippines have evinced interest in the Akash weapon system.
“We have now a self -sufficient armament producing system which can export. The exports this year have exceeded 21 ,000 crores. This is a 36 % jump over the last year’s sale of weapons and equipment, and this will only be bound to increase” In 2020, India and Armenia signed a $2 billion deal for arms. India agreed to provide the Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers, which can hit targets 70 kilometres away.
The Akash 1S version sold to Armenia has a range of 18 to 30 kilometres, with an effective engagement distance of about 20 kilometres. This missile weighs around 720 kilograms and has a 60-kilogram high-explosive warhead. The Akash 1S version sold to Armenia has a range of 18 to 30 kilometres, with an effective engagement distance of about 20 kilometres. This missile weighs around 720 kilograms and has a 60-kilogram high-explosive warhead. Russia has been the major supplier of arms and ammunition to Armenia over the past decade, accounting for 94 percent of Yerevan’s arms imports from 2011 to 2020.
