India’s Indigenous 100 Km Range Astra Air-To-Air Missile To Be Tested From Tejas; DRDO May Begin Testing 160 Km Range Mark-2 Next Year

India’s indigenous Astra air-to-air missile, which has a range of around 100 kilometers, will soon be test-fired from Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).

The process of integrating India’s first indigenous air-to-air missile on the home-grown fighter jet has been completed. The “initial ground trials” with the missile and the fighter are also complete, reports say.

The “flight trials” will begin “within the next few months”, says a report in the Times of India on Sunday (22 November), quoting sources.

Astra Mark-1 has already been tested from the Su-30 MKI fighters if the IAF.

The Defence Acquisition Council, led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, gave a go-ahead for the purchase of 288 Astras in July this year.

“Large-scale orders” are likely to be placed by the Indian Air Force after the tests of the missile from LCA Tejas are complete, the source added.

While the Mark-1 version of the missile reaches closer to large-scale production, its Mark-2 version is being prepared for testing.

The testing of the Mark-2 version of Astra, which has a range of around 160 km, may being in the first half of the next year, the report says.

The DRDO is also planning to begin working on the Mark-3 version of Astra, which will have a range of around 350 kilometers.