Indian Air Force To Induct Indigenously Developed Surface-To-Air Missile

The Indian Air Force will formally induct the first batch of indigenously designed and developed Surface-to-Air Missile known as Akash during a ceremony in Hyderabad on March 03, 2012. A.K Antony, Minister for Defense will also hand over the advanced light-weight torpedo, TAL to the Indian Navy. As part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) indigenously developed the Akash Weapon System (AWS) which is an all-weather, medium-range, Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) system. The system can handle multiple targets and destroy manoeuvring targets such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), fighter aircraft, cruise missiles and missiles launched from helicopters. It can operate autonomously, and engage and neutralize different aerial targets simultaneously. The missile has a launch weight of 720 kg and carry 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. The Light Weight Torpedo or, TAL as it is better known has been indigenously developed by the National Science and Technology Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam. TAL is an electrically propelled, self- homing Torpedo which can be launched both from ships and helicopters. It can hunt submarines with a speed of 33 knots with endurance of six minutes in shallow and deep waters. The Torpedo weighs around 220 kgs. BDL is manufacturing these Torpedoes at its Visakhapatnam Unit.