Current Affairs - Defence - Discussion

Turkmenistan and Tajikistan have inducted India’s indigenous Akash air defence missile system, as confirmed on October 5, 2026. Armenia was the first international customer to acquire the system. Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Akash is India’s first indigenous short-range Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) system and is manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), a Defence Ministry public sector undertaking headquartered in Hyderabad. The missile has an operational range of approximately 4.5 km to 25 km and can engage multiple aerial threats, including fighter aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. Its electronic counter-countermeasure capabilities help it resist electronic jamming.