Astra Mark-1 Missile

Context

  • The Ministry of Defence it has signed a contract with the Hyderabad-based public-sector Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) for supply of the Astra Mark-1, for deployment on fighter jets of the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.

About Astra Mark-1 Missile

  • The Astra Mk-1 missile is a beyond visual range (BVR), air-to-air missile (AAM).
  • The missile has been designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for deployment on fighter jets like Sukhoi-30 MKI and Tejas of the IAF and the Mig-29K of the Navy.

    Astra Mark-1 Missile
    Source: The Print
  • BVM missiles are capable of engaging beyond the range of 20 nautical miles or 37 kilometers.
  • AAMs are fired from an airborne asset to destroy an airborne target.
  • The Astra project was officially launched in the early 2000s with defined parameters and proposed future variants. Around 2017, the development phase of Mk-1 version was complete.
  • While the range for Astra Mk-1 is around 110 km, the Mk-2 with a range over 150 km is under development and Mk-3 version with a longer range is being envisaged.
  • One more version of Astra, with a range smaller than Mk-1 is also under development.

Significance of Astra Missile

  • AAMs with BVR capability provides large stand-off ranges to own fighter aircraft which can neutralise adversary airborne assets without exposing themselves to adversary air defence measures.
  • Stand-off range means the missile is launched at a distance sufficient to allow the attacking side to evade defensive fire from the target.
  • The missile can travel at speeds more than four times that of sound and can reach a maximum altitude of 20 km, making it extremely flexible for air combat.
  • The missile is fully integrated on the Sukhoi 30 MKI I and will be integrated with other fighter aircraft in a phased manner, including the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas.
  • The Indian Navy will integrate the missile on the MiG-29K fighter aircraft which are deployed on the Navy’s aircraft carriers, thus adding to the lethality of India’s Aircraft carriers.

Reference:

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-astra-mk-1-air-to-air-missile-features-strategic-significance-7946070/

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