An
indigenously designed, all-weather beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile,
Astra with a range of over 70 kilometres was successfully test-fired from a Sukhoi
Su-30MKI combat aircraft yesterday from the Bay of Bengal off the coast of
Odisha.
Developers
Defence Research
and Development Organisation or DRDO initiated the development of this missile
which is the premier research and development organisation of the armed forces
nationwide. This has been India's first indigenous take at coming up with a missile of an advanced stage of development.
The
Astra missile has not just been developed by Defence Research and Development The organisation alone, but it also found its roots with 50 other public and
private organisations, involved at various stages of its development while the
modifications of the Sukhoi-30 MKI jets to accommodate Astra missiles has been
carried out by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
Defence Ministry
According
to the Defence Ministry, a "live target was engaged accurately" by
the Astra while the "mission profile was executed in a textbook
manner." Radars carried out the tracking of the Astra with its electro-optical
tracking sensors and aimed its target successfully.
Astra’s capability
This
air to air missile is capable of engaging targets of distinctive ranges and
altitudes with long-range as well as short-range targets while the DRDO has
been planning of developing the latest version of the Astra missile having a
300km range. India currently shoots Russian air-to-air missiles from its fleet
of frontline Su-30 fighters while it further plans to lay Israeli designed
I-Derby and Astra missiles in the future.
This
missile potentially can approach the target at a speed of over 5,555 kilometres
per hour carrying a 15-kilogramme high-explosive pre-fragmented warhead.
Official statements
The
mission profile was executed in a textbook manner as stated by officials.
"Various Radars, Electro-Optical Tracking System (EOTS) and Sensors
tracked the missile and confirmed its engagement with the target," the
defence statement said.
Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh too congratulated DRDO and Air Force team for the
successful completion of the test.
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