India's Defence Research and Development Organisation has conducted the first five test firings of the indigenously developed Astra beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile. The 154kg (340lb) weapon has a claimed range of 110km (59nm) and a cruise speed of up to Mach 2.2 carrying a 20kg fragmentation warhead.
The Astra missile is expected to be integrated with Indian air force types including the Aeronautical Development Agency Tejas light combat aircraft and Sukhoi Su-30MKI, and potentially also included in upgrades to the service's legacy Dassault Mirage 2000s and RSK MiG-29s.
The state-owned DRDO also plans to jointly develop a short-range air defence system with MBDA using a vertically launched variant of Astra.
Source: Flight International
