The successful completion of user evaluation trials for Akash-NG at the Integrated Test Range in Odisha marks a pivotal advancement in India's indigenous air defence capabilities.

Witnessed by Indian Air Force representatives, these trials validated the entire system—encompassing multi-function radar, command-and-control units, mobile launchers, and the missile itself—as operationally acceptable for induction.

This clearance transcends mere developmental success, confirming seamless integration across the weapon chain, which is critical for countering real-world threats like drones, cruise missiles, and stand-off weapons in a congested airspace.

Akash-NG represents an evolution from earlier Akash variants, boasting an extended engagement range of 70-80 km, with radar surveillance reaching up to 120 km and fire control to 80 km.

Equipped with an indigenous Ku-band active RF seeker and a dual-pulse solid rocket motor, it excels against low-radar-cross-section targets, including high-manoeuvring aerial threats at varying altitudes.

The cannisterised design enhances mobility, enabling road, rail, and air transport, alongside rapid deployment in minutes, supporting shoot-and-scoot tactics that bolster survivability.

In operational terms, the active RF seeker shifts terminal guidance to the missile, minimising dependence on ground illumination and affording greater flexibility amid jamming, decoys, or saturation attacks.

This allows concurrent engagement of up to ten targets, addressing volume threats from cheap drone swarms or loitering munitions that characterised recent crises. Such capabilities reduce seams where air defence failures often occur, like track degradation under clutter or delayed data links, ensuring reliability in contested electromagnetic environments.

India's air defence posture relies on a layered architecture, where Akash-NG fortifies the vital medium-range tier between short-range point defences and long-range assets like the S-400. While S-400 provides strategic depth with multi-target tracking, its limited numbers necessitate denser medium-range coverage for blunting raids across fronts.

Akash-NG complements this by enabling networked operations via the IAF's Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS), without over-relying on imports, thus scaling protection economically.

The system's relevance sharpened during Operation Sindoor in May 2025, following the Pahalgam terror attack, when Pakistan launched hundreds of drones and UCAVs against Indian airbases and logistics.

India's multi-layered grid, integrating Akash, MRSAM, S-400, and legacy systems like Pechora, neutralised all intrusions via hard-kill and soft-kill options, with no breaches or losses. This real-time demonstration via ICCS underscored the need for medium-range systems proficient against ambiguous, low-cost aerial pressure, directly aligning with Akash-NG's strengths.

Geopolitically, Akash-NG advances self-reliance amid two-front threats from China and Pakistan, where China supplies advanced drones, sensors, and electronic warfare tools to Islamabad. Domestic production circumvents sanctions or supply disruptions during crises, allowing rapid upgrades based on operational feedback.

By complicating adversary planning through redundant, scalable grids, it functions as a deterrence multiplier, signalling India's reduced vulnerability to coercive leverage.

Developed by DRDO with contributions from Bharat Dynamics Limited, which supplied the first RF seekers in 2023, Akash-NG maintains compatibility with existing Akash infrastructure for swift upgrades across terrains, from high-altitude borders to coasts.

Its all-weather operation, electronic counter-countermeasures, and smaller footprint enhance deployability, while fire-and-forget modes streamline battery command under duress. These attributes position it as a force multiplier for the IAF and Army, countering evolving tactics in South Asia's volatile airspace.

Looking ahead, induction tempo will determine strategic impact: anticipated orders, squadron raise rates, basing strategies, and IACCS integration remain key metrics. Expected service entry by 2026 could see it alongside VSHORAD and QRSAM for comprehensive coverage.

Challenges like production scaling must be met to realise denser deployment, but trials affirm a robust foundation for sustaining operations against persistent aerial coercion.

IDN (With Agency Inputs)