India approves sale of Akash missile system to foreign nations

New Delhi, Dec 30 : In a big boost to India’s indigenous defence capabilities, the government approved on Wednesday the sale of Akash missile system to foreign nations, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said.
A surface-to-air missile with a range of 25 km with over 96 per cent indigenisation, Akash, developed by the DRDO, is India’s first indigenously designed missile system and can target fighter jets, cruise missiles, drones and other aerial assets. It was inducted into the Indian Air Force in 2014 and in the Indian Army in 2015.
Rajnath Singh, in a series of tweets, said that the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the export of Akash Missile System and a Committee for faster approvals has been created.
“Under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat, India is growing in its capabilities of manufacturing a wide variety of Defence platforms and missiles,” he tweeted.
Noting that till now Indian defence exports included parts or components for defence equipment, he said: “The export of big platforms was minimal. This decision by the Cabinet would help the country to improve its defence products and make them globally competitive.” The Defence Ministry, in a statement, said: “After its induction in the Services, interest was shown in Akash missile by many friendly countries during International Exhibitions/Defence Expo/Aero India. The Cabinet approval will facilitate Indian manufactures to participate in RFI/RFP issued by various countries.”