India successfully launched a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile, Astra from a Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft on March 18, 2015.
The missile was successfully test-fired at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur in Odisha. It was aimed to prove the manoeuvring capability against a simulated target as well as to validate the various subsystems.
Astra’s subsystems like propulsion, guidance, navigation as well as separation of the missile from the aircraft have been proved by the test-fire.
ABOUT ASTRA MISSILE:
Astra is Sanskrit term which means throwing weapon
The Astra missile is a Beyond Visual Range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM), which is developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), India
It is a all-weather, state-of-the-art missile that is capable of engaging and destroying the enemy aircraft at a supersonic speed of 1.2
Astra is the smallest developed missile by the DRDO, which can be launched from different altitudes
It can engage targets in head-on up to 80 kilometers and tail-chase up to 20 kilometers modes
The 3.8 meter long missile can reach up to 110 kilometer when fired from an altitude of 15 kilometers, 44 kilometers when launched from 8 kilometers and 21 kilometers from the sea level
The missile Astra can be integrated with fighter aircraft including Sukhoi-30 MKI, Mirage-2000, MiG-29, Jaguar and the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft
On May4, 2014, a trial of Astra was successfully conducted from a naval range in the Western sector.
