DRDO And Indian Air Force Carry Out Successful Trials Of Astra BVR Air-To-Air Missile With Live Aerial Target

Indian Air Force (IAF) and Defence Research And Development Organisation (DRDO) today (17 September) carried out successful user trails of the Astra Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile.

A live aerial target was engaged accurately demonstrating the capability of India’s first indigenously developed air-to-air missile. Various radars, Electro-Optical Tracking Systems (EOTS) and sensors tracked the missile and confirmed its engagement with the target.

The trails were carried out from a Sukhoi Su-30 MKI aircraft, the mainstay of the IAF, off the coast of Odisha.

With a range of 75-100 km, Astra is a major addition to the Indian arsenal and paves the way for future air-to-air missile development within India. The range puts it at par with the French Mica BVR missiles but falls short of the Meteor with 150 km range.

The Astra had been in development for almost 15 years and packs several features like the special propellent indigenously developed in India which leaves no trace after firing, making the aircraft that fired it difficult to trace.