India, on July 16, 2025, 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 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.

Army Air Defence and DRDO, in conjunction with Defence PSUs such as Bharat Dynamics Limited & Bharat Electronics Limited, and other Industry Partners have successfully validated the indigenously designed and developed Akash Prime Weapon System. 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.

This achievement carries added significance as it follows the exceptional performance of India’s indigenously developed air defence systems during Operation Sindoor. It marks a major step forward for the nation's missile development programmes, which are now gaining increasing attention in the global defence market.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has complimented the Indian Army, DRDO, and the industry on this remarkable achievement. He described the success as a significant boost to India’s Air Defence capabilities, particularly for meeting high-altitude operational requirements.

Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V. Kamat congratulated the teams associated with the successful test and stated that the missile has met the country’s critical air defence requirements for high-altitude.