From Import Dependence to Indigenous Shield, Dr Prahlada recalls the making of Akash Missile

By Aroonim Bhuyan

New Delhi, May 8. Dr Prahlada Ramarao is widely regarded as the architect of India’s Akash missile system, one of the country’s most complex air-defence systems under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.

In a detailed interview with India Strategic, the former DRDO scientist described how the Akash project emerged at a time when India had virtually no indigenous defence manufacturing capability and depended heavily on imports even for basic military equipment.

A missile born out of strategic necessity

According to Dr Prahlada, the genesis of the programme lay in a stark realisation within the Government of India that the country could not remain perpetually dependent on foreign suppliers for its security needs. A joint committee of the Ministry of Defence and DRDO identified four immediate missile requirements: an anti-tank missile, a short-range surface-to-air missile, a ground-to-ground missile, and a medium-range multi-target air defence system. The last of these evolved into Akash, later joined by Agni as a fifth project.

Among the four, Akash was considered the most technologically demanding. Unlike conventional air defence systems, it had to handle multiple incoming aerial threats from different directions and neutralize them before they entered Indian airspace. Its specifications were drawn up after extensive consultations with both the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force, covering everything from altitude and speed to radar, propulsion, software, hardware and warhead design.

Building everything from scratch

Dr Prahlada emphasised that India lacked prior background science or technological base in several of the critical areas required for Akash. Radar systems, propulsion units, control mechanisms and warheads all had to be developed indigenously. The project eventually took nearly 15 years to mature.

A key decision by the government was to embed Army and Air Force officers directly with the project team in Hyderabad through a dedicated Project Management Team office. This ensured constant user feedback and alignment with operational requirements.

Public sector units such as Bharat Dynamics Limited and the Ordnance Factories were simultaneously funded to create production infrastructure, while academic institutions and private industry were roped in to develop subsystems, software and prototypes.

At the helm of the entire missile programme was Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who served as Programme Director, with individual project directors overseeing each missile. Dr Prahlada led the Akash project.

The uniquely Indian design philosophy

One of the most distinctive features of Akash, Dr Prahlada noted, was its propulsion philosophy. Unlike typical rocket systems where the engine burns out after a few seconds and the missile coasts toward its target, the Army and Air Force insisted that Akash maintain powered flight until impact. This required the development of a long-burn rocket motor – an enormous challenge involving complex chemistry and materials engineering that took nearly a decade to perfect.

Simultaneously, indigenous radar systems capable of tracking fast, manoeuvring and jamming-capable targets had to be developed. Maintaining high speed throughout flight was critical to preserving manoeuvrability and interception accuracy.

Emotional moment during Operation Sindoor

Dr Prahlada described an emotional moment when he first learned from television channels that Akash had been operationally deployed during Operation Sindoor and had successfully prevented hostile aircraft from entering Indian territory.

He said he was overwhelmed on seeing reports of the system’s performance and deeply missed Dr Kalam at that moment, believing that no one understood the effort behind Akash better than him.

Kalam’s transformational leadership

Reflecting on the broader evolution of India’s missile programme, Dr Prahlada credited Dr Kalam with three transformative decisions: recruiting around 200 young engineers directly from colleges with unprecedented autonomy, opening up collaboration with academic institutions for software and problem-solving, and engaging hundreds of industries in subsystem development.

This broke the earlier culture of excessive secrecy that prevented collaboration with academia and private industry. Dr Prahlada said he personally worked with nearly 500 industries, 100 academic institutions and over 1,500 scientists during the Akash project.

Kalam’s leadership style also left a deep imprint. He regularly attended late-night tests, treated failures as learning opportunities, and always credited young engineers for successes. He insisted that the “project is supreme” and that everyone, including himself, worked for the success of the mission rather than for personal recognition.

The next frontier: Space and C4ISR

Looking ahead, Dr Prahlada believes the future of missile warfare will increasingly shift to space. He stressed the importance of protecting C4ISR capabilities – Command, Control, Communication, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance – since adversaries will attempt to disrupt navigation, surveillance and communication systems that guide modern missiles.

He warned that ensuring resilience in Low Earth Orbit, Medium Earth Orbit and Geostationary Orbit will be crucial for India’s future defence preparedness.

A legacy beyond technology

For Dr Prahlada, the story of Akash is not just about technology but about confidence in Indian scientific talent, institutional cooperation, and visionary leadership. He believes India could achieve even greater heights if the collaborative and empowering principles championed by Dr Kalam are consistently followed.

The journey of Akash, he suggests, stands as proof that with time, support and belief in indigenous capability, India can build world-class defence systems entirely on its own.