AFP file photo taken 21 January 2004, of an Indian tank equiped with Surface-to-air Akash missiles manoeuvering past Vijay Chowk on Rajpath in New Delhi, during a rehearsal for the annual Indian Republic Day parade.
AFP file photo taken 21 January 2004, of an Indian tank equiped with Surface-to-air Akash missiles manoeuvering past Vijay Chowk on Rajpath in New Delhi, during a rehearsal for the annual Indian Republic Day parade. |
This was the second test of the missile, named Akash which means Sky in Hindi, in four days. The last successful test was on Friday and came a day after rival Pakistan tested a short-range nuclear-capable missile.
The sources said Akash was fired from a mobile launcher at 11:57 am at the Chandipur-on-Sea testing site, 200 kilometres (125 miles) northeast of Orissa's state capital Bhubaneswar.
"It successfully hit the target dropped from a pilotless target aircraft," a defence source said.
The 700-kilogram (1,540-pound) Akash can carry a 60-kilogram warhead and is designed to travel 27 kilometres (17 miles).
It can strike several targets simultaneously.
Akash is one of five missiles being developed by India's state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation.
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