AKASH: Scientist Prahlada Ramarao on building India's missile defence that thwarted Pakistan's aerial intrusions
Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], May 14 (ANI): Prahlada Ramarao, the Former DRDO scientist behind India's Akash missile system, recently shared insights into the crucial moments and challenges during the missile's development.
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 an interview with ANI, Ramarao reflected on the long journey of developing India's missile technology. He also highlighted his close collaboration with Kalam during the initial stages of the project in the 1980s.
Recalling his early experiences, Ramarao said, 'In 1983, I was a junior scientist, working alongside Dr Kalam. He was my mentor, and we would frequently interact on testing and mathematical modelling. I vividly remember when Dr. Kalam asked me a question, and I prepared a chart to present my findings to him. He was satisfied with the way I had perceived the problem.'
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.
'It was complex--the missile was complex, the radar, the ground system, and the entire ecosystem were also complex. The target is the aircraft, which includes flying, manoeuvring... and also it carries electronic warfare. It is a very tough job. It took 15 years; for 10 years, we were doing research and development. In the last 3 years, we did the testing and later asked the armed forces to come for flight testing. That is how it took place,' he explained.
Ramarao also highlighted the unique challenges posed by the missile's design, particularly its ability to engage multiple targets simultaneously.
'Everything was a challenge. We were all very young, most of us were under 30. The Air Force and Army had specified that the missile should be a multi-target handling surface-to-air missile system. If the enemy sent 6-8 aircraft, the missile had to destroy all of them at once. The radar had to be customised for beam agility, so the missile wouldn't miss a target,' Ramarao said.
He further elaborated, 'The enemy aircraft had to be matched with us, as in which missiles would go to which aircraft. That could have also been done because of the intelligence we have built in the radar and the command-control system inside the missile. This would ensure that it would match different targets, missiles simultaneously, accurately, and reliably.'
The coordination between the radar, command and control systems, and the missile itself was crucial to ensure accurate targeting and simultaneous engagements of multiple targets.
'The radar had to be customised specially for beam agility. The electronic beams should be swift and at a fast speed so that we cannot miss the target,' he said.
Another significant challenge was the missile's speed. Ramarao discussed the creation of a special system called the Ramjet propulsion system to enhance the missile's speed.
'The other biggest challenge was the speed of the missile. We had to make a very special propulsion called RAMJET propulsion for the system. This also took a lot of time. We had 1,000 scientists working in about 12 laboratories all across the country. Coordinating all of them to get the desired results was a monumental task,' he recalls.
Despite the challenges, the entire team's dedication and the relentless support of Dr Kalam kept the project on track, he said.
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.
Ramarao's perseverance and Dr Kalam's visionary leadership turned what began as an ambitious dream in the 1980s into a significant defence milestone for India.
Operation SINDOOR emerged as a calibrated military response to an evolving pattern of asymmetric warfare, one that increasingly targets unarmed civilians along with military personnel.
The terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam in April 2025 served as a grim reminder of this shift. India's response was deliberate, precise, and strategic.
Without crossing the Line of Control or international boundary, Indian forces struck terrorist infrastructure and eliminated multiple threats.
However, beyond tactical brilliance, what stood out was the seamless integration of indigenous hi-tech systems into national defence. Whether in drone warfare, layered air defence, or electronic warfare,
As part of Operation Sindoor, Battle-proven AD (Air Defence) systems like the Pechora, OSA-AK and LLAD guns (Low-level air defence guns). Indigenous systems such as the Akash demonstrated stellar performance.
AKASH is a Short Range Surface to Air Missile system to protect vulnerable areas and vulnerable points from air attacks.
The AKASH Weapon System can simultaneously engage multiple targets in group mode or autonomous mode.
It has built-in Electronic Counter-Counter Measures (ECCM) features. The entire weapon system has been configured on mobile platforms. (ANI)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Gazette
a day ago
- India Gazette
Home grown less than 50 rupees' test aiding fight against Sickle Cell Disease
New Delhi [India], June 21 (ANI): Sickle Cell Disease, a genetic blood disorder, leads to severe health complications such as anaemia, frequent pain episodes and other debilitating symptoms, affecting millions worldwide, especially in India and Africa. According to Dr Prabhakar Kedar, Scientist F, ICMR- CRMCH, Chandrapur India has indigenous validated 35 company kits and 23 kits with 100 % accuracy and low cost for Sickle Cell Anaemia detection, 'we have validated so far 35 company kits and 23 have shown 100 per cent sensitivity and 12 kits 95 per cent sensitivity.' The sample collection is done from a finger prick mixed with buffer solution, and results are obtained in a few minutes. 'A drop of capillary blood (usually from a finger prick) is collected. 2. The blood is mixed with buffer solution and placed on the test strip or cassette, 3. Reaction: The test uses antibodies to detect different haemoglobin variants (HbA, HbS and control band).' He explained 'Colored lines appear on the strip within 10 minutes to indicate the presence of normal haemoglobin (HbA), sickle haemoglobin (HbS), and control band.' He said. On utilisation of these kits, he said 2 kits per month are used, and for each kit we use 50 Sickle homozygous blood samples, 50 heterozygous and 50 normal blood samples.' 'We used blood samples, which were first confirmed by the HPLC method, which is the gold standard for diagnosing sickle cell anaemia, ' he said. To support the fight against Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), two centres- ICMR-NIIH in Mumbai and CRMCH in Chandrapur, have been officially chosen by the government to test and approve new diagnostic kits. 'ICMR NIRRCH, along with PGI Chandigarh and ICMR-NIIH, conducted a comprehensive assessment and determined that point-of-care tests for Sickle Cell Disease/Trait among the high-risk population in India would be cost-effective if procured at INR 100 per test or below. Following the HTA recommendation, the National Health Mission instructed state health departments to procure the diagnostic kits at a maximum price of INR 100 per test. Through public tendering, the competitive procurement process drove the price of the kits down to INR 82 per test, significantly below the initial quote, resulting in a saving of Rs 1,857 crores. Subsequently, ICMR-NIIH has validated new kits, and further to it, the manufacturer has agreed to sell the kits at INR 50 per test,' states ICMR-CRMCH. These efforts are a big boost for the National Sickle Cell Elimination Mission, which aims to eliminate the disease from India by 2047. (ANI)
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Sarojininagar leads city's tech transformation
Lucknow: Outlining his vision to transform Lucknow into India's next major digital hub, with Sarojininagar leading the way, MLA Rajeshwar Singh posted on X, saying, "This is just the beginning," as the city's identity evolves "from tradition to technology. " He announced the development of India's first 70-acre Artificial Intelligence City in Lucknow, alongside Sarojininagar's emergence as a strategic defence-tech hub with the 1,500-acre Aerocity, BrahMos unit, and DRDO lab. Major players like IBM, Deloitte, Genpact, and Teleperformance have already entered the city, while Dassault Systèmes is investing Rs 240 crore in R&D at AKTU. Singh emphasised that 35% of Bengaluru's tech workforce hails from Uttar Pradesh and it's time for them to return. Citing a NASSCOM–Deloitte report, he highlighted Lucknow's rising status among India's emerging tech cities, driven by talent availability, cost advantage, and govt support. He also proposed the formation of a Uttar Pradesh Artificial Intelligence Commission to regulate and promote AI research. Crediting Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the ongoing transformation, Singh said, "Sarojininagar is not just growing — it is becoming India's innovation epicentre. We're building tomorrow's Uttar Pradesh today."
The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
Quantum challenge: On IIT-DRDO demonstration of quantum key-distribution scheme
Scientists from IIT-Delhi and the DRDO recently demonstrated a key advance in quantum cybersecurity that stands to revolutionise how the world will communicate in the future. The world's secrets are currently stored and communicated via channels that are protected by difficult mathematical problems. Over the years, an increasing amount of computing power available to certain actors has forced these problems to become difficult and nigh-uncrackable. The imminence of quantum computing requires this paradigm to change because quantum computers can (at least on paper) solve problems currently out of reach of the most powerful conventional supercomputers. Quantum cybersecurity is one prong of this change, promising to protect communication channels irrespective of the computing power available to malicious actors. The IIT-Delhi and DRDO team successfully demonstrated a quantum key-distribution scheme through one kilometre of free space on the institute's campus. Such a technology allows two individuals (or stations) located a kilometre apart to securely access messages they send each other. If an eavesdropper tries to intercept any message, instantaneous changes in the keys the individuals use to decrypt the messages will reveal the channel has been compromised, and in a way that the eavesdropper cannot prevent. If scaled up to include satellites, the technology could allow stations anywhere in India to exchange information through a quantum network without fear of being compromised. Herein lies the rub. Quantum communications is one of the four themes of the National Quantum Mission, approved in 2023 with an outlay of ₹6,003 crore until 2031. Many of the same problems assailing fundamental research in India have already beset research under the Mission, however. A small fraction of the outlay has been disbursed thus far even as venture capital flow into startups remains trivial. Scientists have complained that just-in-time funding, absence of single-window clearances, and documentation requirements have increased the duration of projects. There are persistent foreign hardware and software dependencies: materials required for specific use-cases, such as cryostats and sensors, need to be fabricated abroad while most quantum software stacks are currently implemented by multinational companies. Government pay does not match global offers and lack of timely access to resources has forced researchers to accept short-term contracts and rent equipment. In fact, India's commitment, itself down from the ₹8,000 crore announced in 2020, is dwarfed by those of the U.S. and China, which are five- and 20-times higher, respectively. If the demonstration at IIT-Delhi is to scale, the government cannot simply 'clip on' scientific talent and technological and economic opportunity to existing infrastructure. Administrative reform is essential.
