India successfully test-fired a medium range surface-to-air missile Monday from a range on an island off the coast of the eastern state of Orissa, defence sources said.
The homegrown missile named Akash – sky in Hindi – was fired from a
mobile launcher Monday afternoon at the the Chandipur-on-Sea testing site, 200 kilometres (125 miles) northeast of Bhubaneswar, Orissa's state capital.
It successfully hit a pilotless target aircraft, a defence source said.
The 700-kilogram (1,540-pound) Akash can carry a 70 kilogram warhead and is
designed to travel 27 kilometres (17 miles).
On November 30, 2004, the same missile was tested with a live warhead.
Akash is one of five missiles being developed by India's state-run Defence
Research and Development Organisation.
Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan frequently test-fire missiles they
are developing for military purposes.
In 1999, a year after the two sides tested nuclear weapons, they agreed to
notify each other ahead of missile tests.
In a meeting last week in Islamabad, the foreign ministers of the two
countries agreed to upgrade the missile test understanding to a formal
agreement.
