IAF To Test 25 Km Range ASRAAM Missile With Su-30 MKI And Jaguar By End Of 2019

Later this year, the Indian Air Force (IAF) will be test-firing the Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) as part of its plans to equip its fighter aircraft with advanced missiles with greater standoff range, reports The Print.

The test will be conducted using the Su-30 MKI and the Jaguar jets. The British ASRAAM has a range of more than 25 km and it considered to be a Within-Visual-Range (WVR) weapon. The missile acquires target information via the sensors of the aircraft it is being fired from.

IAF had selected this weapon in 2013 in a competition which also saw the participation of the Israeli-manufactured Python, the American Raytheon AIM-9X Sidewinder, among other missiles.

It is possible that the indigenously produced Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas may also be able to take advantage of the procurement of the ASRAAM, as discussions are ongoing with the manufacturer MBDA to integrate it with the Indian fighter.