Indigenously Developed Astra Missile Successfully Tested by IAF

The Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully test fired the Astra air-to-air missile at Kalaikunda Air Force Station earlier today. The Astra mission is developed in India and is officially classified as a Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM). The missile was test fired from a Sukhoi (Su-30) aircraft. This missile had so far undergone twenty development trials.

The IAF said that the missile had met the objectives of its test firing mission by engaging an airborne target that was maneuvering in flight, and that it did so with a high degree of precision. Of particular importance was the fact that this last test was part of the pre-induction tests that the missile had to undergo before being deployed and being made part of the regular arsenal of the IAF. The missile has always been tested with the Su-30 aircraft assault systems assembly.

Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Defence of India, praised the efforts of the the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the various other teams that were involved in this mission. She said that India had come a long way in being successfully capable in its development of advanced weapons systems through the use of its own indigenous means. With reference to its overall success as a missile system, the Astra has yet to see deployment in the battlefield so as to be live tested in order to give an unassailable display of its combat effectiveness.