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What is Astra missile?
Astra is an all-weather air-to-air missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The indigenously developed beyond-visual-range missile is the first air-to-air missile developed in India. The missile was built to engage and destroy aerial targets, which have high maneuverability and supersonic speed. The missile is capable of advanced air combat, which allows it to engage in multiple high-performance targets.
The missile will be integrated with Indian Air force’s Su-30MKI and Mirage 2000, and MiG-29 and MiG-21 Bison fighter jet. The missile will also equip Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL’s) Tejas fighter jets as well as the Indian Navy’s Sea Harrier jet fighter.
The missile will be integrated with Indian Air force’s Su-30MKI and Mirage 2000, and MiG-29 and MiG-21 Bison fighter jet. The missile will also equip Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL’s) Tejas fighter jets as well as the Indian Navy’s Sea Harrier jet fighter.
Features and design
Astra is 3.6 m long and with a diameter of 178 mm weighing 154 kg. The missile uses an inertial guidance system driven by a fibre optic gyroscope with terminal guidance through active radar homing. Astra missile has a range of 10 to 110 km. It is equipped with electronic counter-countermeasures to allow functioning even during enemy attempts to block the seeker using electronic countermeasures. The missile can be launched in both autonomous and buddy mode operation. It can lock on to its target before or after it is fired.
Development of Astra missile
Preliminary work on the project started in 1990. The missile was being developed under Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) of the Ministry of Defence (MoD). It was made public for the first time at the Aero India 1998. The Mk-1 variant of the missile was first tested in May 2003 and was officially sanctioned in 2004. A budget of Rs 955 crore was sanctioned and DRDO was tasked with leading the project with assistance from HAL and Electronics Corporation of India Limited. The missile underwent series of trials before completing final development trials in September 2017, after which it was cleared for production at Bharat Dynamics Limited's manufacturing facility in Bhanur, Telangana.
New variants of Astra missile
After Asta Mark 1, three new variants are being planned for the future — Astra IR close combat missile for shorter range of up to 80 km, Astra Mark 2 with a range of 160 km, and Astra Mark 3 with a maximum range of 350 km.
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