New Delhi [India], October 1 (ANI): Highlighting the maturing capabilities of India’s domestic defence manufacturing sector, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Thursday praised the indigenous Akash Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) system as a key milestone in India's journey toward self-reliance in military technology.
Speaking to ANI on India's defence export trajectory, Singh noted that the Akash system has transitioned into a stabilised production phase, backed by strong domestic orders alongside an expanding footprint across international defence markets.
"Akash, I would say that it is one of our success stories. It shows the maturing of our indigenous missile design and production system. It is effective in dealing with high-velocity aerial targets," said the Defence Secretary.
Production for the Akash missile system has stabilised, with active procurement continuing for the Indian Armed Forces while orders from foreign nations continue to grow.
Following Armenia as its launch customer, India has expanded deliveries and exports of the Akash system to Central Asian nations, including Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
The platform has proven its operational efficacy in countering fast-moving aerial threats, including fighter jets, drones, and cruise missiles.
"The first customer was Armenia, which has taken multiple batteries. Thereafter, we've also exported it to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Production has stabilised. We have additional orders for our own services, and I'm sure there will be many more from various parts of the world, including some of the areas that you mentioned," said Rajesh Kumar Singh.
Armenia signed a deal in 2022 to acquire multiple Akash-1S batteries, with initial deliveries starting in late 2024. DRDO and the Ministry of Defence confirmed that Central Asian nations Tajikistan and Turkmenistan have joined the buyer list, marking an expansion of Indian arms exports into traditionally Russian-supplied markets.
Akash is a short-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed by DRDO and manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) / Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). It is designed to engage supersonic targets at ranges up to 25–30 km (and up to 50 km for newer variants like Akash-NG), utilising ramjet propulsion and command guidance. (ANI)
Earlier in September, Defence Secretary Rajesh Singh described cost advantage as among India’s USPs in defence exports, emphasising that the ministry expects exports to reach Rs 50,000 crore in the next two years.
Answering a question on defence exports at the 13th PAFI Annual Forum 2026 Panel Discussion on Building India's Competitive Advantage, Singh highlighted BrahMos as among the most well-known export products.
“The most well-known product is the BrahMos, which is fairly coveted and which we are selling to or in the process of selling to, several Southeast Asian countries. There are (exports) also increasingly in areas like artillery and mounted gun systems. We have DRDO technology-based private sector products which have been exported to certain countries, and there is more demand coming. Possibly also Akash surface-to-air missiles where there is a lot of interest,” Singh said, answering a query by ANI.
The Akash missile, which has successfully intercepted enemy missile threats, was first conceptualised in 1983, when Ramarao was a young scientist at the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) in Hyderabad. At that time, he was working under the guidance of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the Director of the lab.
In 1984, the missile system was officially named "Akash." Ramarao's dedication and hard work eventually led to his appointment as the Project Director of the Akash missile program. At the time, he felt overwhelmed by the responsibility, given his youth and the scale of the project.
"In 1984, the name of the missile was given as AKASH. To my pleasant surprise, I was given the title of Project Director. I was young at that time and scared about handling such a massive responsibility. The project was taking longer than anticipated, with over 15 years of work, and I was concerned about whether I could manage it," Ramarao recalled.
The development of the Akash missile faced several hurdles. The missile, along with its radar systems and ground infrastructure, needed to function in perfect harmony to counter fast-moving, manoeuvring aircraft equipped with electronic warfare technology.
With its successful testing and eventual deployment, the Akash missile system became a cornerstone of India's defence, playing a vital role in safeguarding the country against external threats. (ANI)
"Akash is one of our success stories": Defence Secy Rajesh Kumar Singh on indigenous missile system's global reach
