Indian Air Force successfully flight tests air-to-air Astra missile from Sukhoi-30 MKI

Indian Air Force on Tuesday successfully flight-tested air-to-air missile Astra off the coast of Odisha.

The missile was launched from Su-30 MKI as a part of User trials. "The live aerial target was engaged accurately demonstrating the capability of the first indigenous air-to-air missile," the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

The statement confirmed that the mission profile was executed in a textbook manner. "Various Radars, Electro-Optical Tracking System (EOTS) and Sensors tracked the missile and confirmed its engagement with the target," the defence statement said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh



congratulated DRDO and Air Force teams for the successful test.

Astra missile

Astra is an indigenous Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Astra missile with a range of over 70 km. The missile can fly towards its target at a speed of over 5,555 kilometres per hour. It has a 15-kilogramme high-explosive pre-fragmented warhead.

The Astra missile has been developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation along with 50 other public and private organisations, involved at various stages of its development. Modifications of the Sukhoi-30 MKI jets to accommodate Astra missiles has been carried out by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).