Answer: Surface-to-Air Missile
Notes: The indigenously developed Akash missile system played a key role in stopping Pakistan’s aerial attacks during Operation Sindoor. Akash is a mobile short-to-medium-range Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) system. It was developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and is used by both the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Army. It defends important locations from enemy aircraft, cruise missiles, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and can hit several targets at once. It can travel at speeds up to Mach 2.5 and is highly manoeuvrable. Its original version has a range of 27–30 km and can reach up to 18 km altitude.
