NEW DELHI -- India said it had test-fired the Akash Missile on Friday, the first test of the short-range surface-to-air missile in nearly six months. A Defense Ministry official told Reuters it was a "routine test" of the Akash Missile which was fired at a pilotless aircraft from a launch pad in the Bay of Bengal. Akash, which means sky in Hindi, has a range of 25km (16 miles) and was tested three times in two weeks in March this year. Defense officials have said the missile was practically ready for production and only needed to undergo user trials. It will be the second in the indigenous missile development program to enter production. Akash, which is scheduled to enter service in the military in early 2002, carries a payload of 55kg (120lb). The surface-to-surface Prithvi Missile has been inducted into the army. Other missiles in the Indian arsenal include a nuclear-capable Ballistic Missile and anti-tank weapons, both in advanced stages of development.