Why India’s missile deals in Central Asia matter to Russia and China - South China Morning Post

Junaid KathjuPublished: 6:31pm, 5 Oct 2026Updated: 6:45pm, 5 Oct 2026India has sold its Akash air-defence missile system to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, giving it a foothold in Central Asia as it seeks to become a major global arms exporter.Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh confirmed the latest sales on Thursday last week, hinting at interest from elsewhere as he called the Akash “one of our success stories”.

Developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation, the Akash is a home-grown, short-range surface-to-air missile system that can hit multiple targets at once and includes built-in protection against electronic jamming.

It can hit aerial targets between 100 metres and 20km (328 feet to 12½ miles) high, with an operational range of 4.5km to 25km, according to the Defence Ministry. Each 5.87-metre (19-foot) long missile weighs roughly 710kg (1,565lbs) and use command guidance to lock onto targets.