India's Akash air defence missile system exported to Turkmenistan, joining Chinese-made systems in the Central Asian nation's arsenal

Key facts

• India has exported its indigenous Akash short-range surface-to-air missile system, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), to Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, following Armenia as the system's first foreign customer.
• Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh confirmed the exports to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, describing Akash as one of India's defence export success stories.
• The Akash has an operating range of 4.5 km to 25 km, can engage targets at altitudes from 100 metres to 20 km, is about 5.87 metres long, weighs around 710 kg, and uses command guidance.
• Akash is designed to engage multiple targets simultaneously, operates in group or autonomous mode on mobile platforms, and has built-in electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) against jamming.
• India has developed variants including Akash Prime, configured for operations at altitudes above 4,500 metres with an indigenously developed radio-frequency seeker, and Akash-NG.
• Turkmenistan displayed eight Chinese-made FK-2000 air-defence vehicles for the first time publicly at an Independence Day military parade in Ashgabat on September 27, alongside the FD-2000, KS-1A and FM-90 systems.
• The FK-2000, developed by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, is an all-weather, short-range air-defence system combining missiles and guns on a mobile platform.
• India's defence exports reached a record Rs 38,424 crore in financial year 2025-26, an increase of Rs 14,802 crore or 62.66% over the previous year, with the private sector accounting for 45.16% of exports.