NEW DELHI – India has develop and deliver its first domestic beyond visualrange air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) to the country’s air force, a defenceresearch official said.
The chief of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO),India’s primary military research and development establishment, Dr G.Satheesh Reddy, told Indian daily the Times of Indialinkthatthe Astra beyond visual range air-to-air missile is ready for inductioninto the Indian Air Force (IAF), Sputnik has reported.
The successful induction of the Astra will take place after 15 years ofresearch and development, and it is expected that the Indian Air Force willplace an initial order for at least 200 missiles for its Sukhoi-30MKI jets,he said.
“Astra is one of the best BVRAAMs in the world today. We can develop it forlonger ranges,” the daily quoted Dr Reddy as saying.
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Currently, efforts are on to expand the missile’s strike range from110-kilometres to over 160-kilometres.
The 3.57-metre-long Astra air-to-air missile, with a mass weight of154-kilograms, possesses the ability to fly at Mach 4.5 or over four timesthe speed of sound.
