India carries out successful trial of Akash Prime missile in Ladakh
New Delhi, Jul 17 (PTI): India has successfully test fired indigenously developed Akash Prime missile in Ladakh that has been customised to operate at an altitude above 4,500 metres, the defence ministry said on Thursday.
The achievement carries added significance as it follows the "exceptional performance" of India's indigenously developed air defence systems during Operation Sindoor, it said.
Akash Prime is an upgraded variant of the Akash weapon system built for the Indian Army.
The test firing of the missile in Ladakh assumed significance as it is close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
"India on July 16 achieved a significant milestone by successfully destroying two aerial high speed unmanned targets at high-altitude in Ladakh by Akash Prime, the upgraded variant of Akash weapon system for the Indian Army," the ministry said in a statement.
It said the weapon system is customised to operate in altitude above 4,500 metres and has latest upgrades including indigenously developed radio frequency seeker.
"Based on the operational feedbacks from users, various upgrades are made to improve the operational effectiveness, demonstrating the advantage of the ecosystem created for the indigenous weapon system," the defence ministry said.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented the Indian Army, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and the industry on this "remarkable achievement", it said.
He described the success as a significant boost to India's air defence capabilities, particularly for meeting high-altitude operational requirements.
"Army Air Defence and DRDO, in conjunction with defence PSUs such as Bharat Dynamics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited, and other industry partners have successfully validated the indigenously designed and developed Akash Prime weapon system," the ministry said.
"The trials were done as part of first of production model firing trial and will further enable timely induction and enhance the air defence potential in high-altitude frontiers of the country," it said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Our relationship with both India and Pakistan is 'good': US
New York/Washington (PTI): America’s relationship with both India and Pakistan is “good”, the US State Department has said, asserting that the diplomats are "committed to both nations".
Speaking at a briefing on Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that the US working with both nations is good news for the region and the world, and will promote a beneficial future.
“I would say that our relationship with both nations is as it has been, which is good. And that is the benefit of having a President who knows everyone, talks to everyone, and that is how we can bring differences together in this case. So it's clear that the diplomats here are committed to both nations,” Bruce said.
She was responding to a question on the possibility of increased US assistance to Islamabad in terms of arms sales following Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir’s meeting with Trump, and whether this was coming at the cost of Trump's relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Referring to the May conflict between India and Pakistan, Bruce added, “Obviously, we had an experience with Pakistan and India when there was a conflict, one that could have developed into something quite horrible.”
She said that there was "immediate concern and immediate movement" with Vice President J D Vance, President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in “addressing the nature of what was happening….we described the nature of the phone calls, the work that we did to stop the attacks and to then bring the parties together so we could have something that was enduring."
She also claimed that top leaders in the US were involved in “stopping that potential catastrophe.”
New Delhi has been maintaining that India and Pakistan halted their military actions following direct talks between their militaries without any mediation by the US.
Bruce added that the recent peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan “follows negotiated peace arrangements between Cambodia and Thailand, Israel and Iran, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India and Pakistan, Egypt and Ethiopia and Serbia and Kosovo.”
Meanwhile, in an interview on Tuesday, Rubio said that “credit goes to” Trump for helping bring several conflicts around the world to an end.
Trump says he wants “to be the President of peace. And so any time we see a conflict where we think we can make a difference, we get involved, and we’ve had good success in that regard. India-Pakistan, Thailand-Cambodia, the peace deal with Azerbaijan and Armenia, just a few days ago,” he said in an interview with ‘Sid and Friends in the Morning’.
