'My eyes welled up when it worked so well', says the man behind Akash defence system

Time of India

12-05-2025

Akash missile system key in repelling Pakistani drone attacks along LoC, said officials (ANI)
NEW DELHI: It took 15 years, a thousand scientists and combined effort of several defence labs situated across the country to develop the indigenous
Akash missile defence system
that successfully passed its first battlefield test along the western borders with Pakistan, said a proud
Prahlada Ramarao
, the then project director of the totally-indigenous missile shield programme of Defence Research and Development Organisation (
DRDO
).
The Akash
missile defence
system proved its mettle when it successfully countered waves of drone and missile attacks from Pakistan during the night of May 8 and 9. Indian military officials have confirmed the effectiveness of India's missile defence systems like Akash and S400 Triumf when
IAF
DGMO Air Marshal AK Bharti on Monday asserted that India's defence systems 'stood like a wall', preventing enemy breaches.
On Akash clearing its first 'agni-pariksha' and boosting India's 'Atmanirbharta' in defence production, Ramarao, a Padma Shri recipient, told TOI, 'My eyes welled up when my baby worked so well. It is the happiest day of my life. This is bigger than my Padma award.'
Ramarao was handpicked by India's 'Missile Man' Dr APJ Abdul Kalam as the youngest project director at the age of 35 to head the Akash programme in early 1990s. Kalam was then head of DRDO's defence laboratory Defence Research Laboratory (DRL) in Hyderabad, before he became scientific adviser to the defence minister and subsequently the President of India. 'A leader brings team spirit and inspires all to work towards a common goal. Kalam was a true leader in that sense. The country now requires 10 Abdul Kalams to grow and develop in various fields like the way the aerospace and defence sectors grew under him,' he said.
Though Akash had undergone numerous test trials and later user trials by the Army and IAF, this was the first time the missile defence witnessed a real battlefield condition when Pakistan attacked India with missiles and drones. Both Indian Army and IAF have strategically deployed this missile system alongside the western border as Akash has the capability to neutralise aerial targets like fighter jets, cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles and even drones. The real time multi-sensor data processing and threat evaluation enables simultaneous engagement of multiple targets from any direction.
'We started work on this project in 1994 with an initial budget of Rs 300 crore. When you invent something, you fail several times. We also failed. But we learnt from our mistakes. Developing Rajendra, a complex multi-function electronically scanned phased array radar, was the biggest challenge. But we overcame that challenge after several hits and trials. Later, the project budget was raised to Rs 500 crore,' Ramarao said.
'I guarantee you, nowhere in the world a missile defence system could have been invented in just Rs 500 crore. Our Akash is the cheapest but most effective missile shield. It can detect a hostile missile from a distance of 70km and kill it at a 30km range,' the DRDO veteran, now 78 years old, said.
After its development in 2009, Akash has since undergone continuous evolution, resulting in the development of several variants, each with enhanced capabilities tailored to address specific operational requirements. These variants include initial Mark-I, upgraded Akash-1S with an indigenous seeker, high-accuracy Akash Prime designed for high-altitude and low-temperature operations, and advanced next-generation Akash-NG, which boasts significantly extended range and sophisticated features.
As per an estimate, IAF has inducted a substantial number of Akash systems, with reports indicating the induction of 15 squadrons. Army operates four regiments of Aakash, with plans for further acquisitions to augment its air defence capabilities.
Impressed with its efficient working, Armenia became the first country to ink a deal with India in 2022 to procure 15 Akash missile systems worth around Rs 6,000 crore. Last year, India had dispatched the first batch of the missile systems to the central Asian country to protect its borders.