RSS
India's air force plans to acquire 750 additional Akash surface-to-air missiles, weapons believed to be capable of delivering nuclear warheads, the Indo-Asian News Service reported yesterday (see GSN, Dec. 14, 2009).
The $925 million purchase would enable six Indian air force squadrons to each receive 125 Akash missiles, Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony said. Last year, New Delhi purchased 250 of the weapons for evaluation.
"The missile can target an enemy aircraft up to [19 miles] away, at altitudes up to [59,000 feet] and can be fired from both tracked and wheeled platforms," said Ashwani Kumar Datt, head of state-operated defense contractor Bharat Electronics Ltd., which produces the weapons.
The Akash is reportedly capable of delivering warheads as heavy as 130 pounds (Indo-Asian News Service/Times of India, Feb. 2).