New Delhi: India’s indigenously designed air-to-air missile Astra was successfully test-fired from the Bay of Bengal off the coast of Odisha on Tuesday from Indian Air Force’s Sukhoi-30 MKI as a part of user trials.
“The live aerial target was engaged accurately demonstrating the capability of first indigenous air-to-air missile. The mission profile was executed in a text book manner. Various Radars, Electro-Optical Tracking System (EOTS) and Sensors tracked the missile and confirmed its engagement with target. Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO and Air Force teams for the successful test,” the Defence Ministry said in a press release.
The indigenously-developed Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) Astra missile has been developed by DRDO and integrated on Su-30MKI and other air platforms, a previous statement from the research organisation said. Modifications of the Su-30MKI jets to accommodate Astra missiles has been carried out by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). More than 50 private and public sector industries have been involved in the development and production of Astra missile.
The Astra is capable of engaging targets of different ranges and altitudes including long-range as well as short-range targets.
According to DRDO, Astra’s maximum range is 110 km and there are plans to develop a 300-km range version too.