Prahlada Ramarao: Proud father of Akash air defence
It was a deeply emotional moment for 78-year-old former aerospace engineer, missile designer and ex-Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) scientist, Prahlada Ramarao. He was watching the highly impressive combat performance of the baby he had nurtured, which was protecting assets of India from incoming Pakistani drones and missiles between May 7 and 10, as 'Operation Sindoor' rolled on.
It was the indigenous missile air defence, Akash, a result of his sustained efforts for several years of his career spanning 44 years from 1971 till 2015. Tears welled up. He was speechless. It was a moment of pride and joy… and an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.
The Akash medium range surface-to-air missile system, with a range of about 30 km and an operational altitude ceiling of 18 km, can simultaneously engage multiple incoming targets, and is operational with the Indian Air Force and the Army. It provides air defence against multiple, simultaneous air threats to vulnerable forces or areas.
The system has cutting-edge features, including real-time multi-sensor data processing and threat evaluation, which enables simultaneous engagement of multiple targets from any direction. The entire system is flexible, configured on mobile platforms, upscalable and can be operated in group and autonomous modes, employing command guidance and relying on phased array guidance radar to guide the missile till it intercepts incoming targets.
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