Astra Mark1 Missiles Get Production Clearance From Indian Air Force, To Be Integrated With Sukhoi-30 MKI And LCA Tejas

The Astra Mark1 air-to-air missile, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has got the Indian Air Force's (IAF) approval for production.

200 Astra Mark1 missiles will be produced by the public sector company, Bharat Dynamic Limited. The clearance was given by IAF Deputy Chief Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit when he visited Hyderabad recently.

As per ANI sources, the IAF Deputy Chief Air Marshal visited the DRDO's Laboratory that developed the Astra missile and gave production clearance for the Rs 2,900 crore project.

The project was approved by the Defence Acquisition Council in 2022-23 and was waiting for some tests before production.

"Astra Weapon System is best in its class of weapon systems in the world in the category of air-to-air missiles. The missile has a range of 100 plus km," the BDL said in a press release earlier.

The DRDO is also working on a new long-range Astra Mk-2 Air-to-Air (A2A) Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile, which may have a range of 300 km.

Meanwhile, there are plans to integrate the Astra Mark1 missile with the Russian Sukhoi-30 MKI jet and the indigenous LCA Tejas fighter aircraft after production.