Astra Missile

About Astra Missile:

• Astra is a beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missile designed to be mounted on fighter aircraft. 
• It is indigenously developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Ltd. (BDL) for the Indian Air Force (IAF).
• The missile was built to engage and destroy aerial targets,which have high maneuverability and supersonic speed.
• The missile is capable of advanced air combat, which allows it to engage in multiple high-performance targets.
• It is the best in its class of weapon systems in the world in the category of air-to-air missiles.
• The missile is being developed in multiple variants to meet specific requirements.
• Features of ASTRA Mk-I:
  • Astra is 3.6 m long and with a diameter of 178 mm, weighing 154 kg. 
  • It has a range of 80 to 110 km in a head-on chase and can travel at 4.5 Mach speed (almost hypersonic).
  • The missile uses an inertial guidance system driven by a fibre optic gyroscope with terminal guidance through active radar homing.
  • It offers the pilot the option to choose between “Lock on Before Launch – LOBL” and “Lock on After Launch – LOAL” and later allows the aircraft to shoot and scoot to safety after firing the missile in the direction of the target.
  • It is based on an advanced solid-fuel ducted ramjet (SFDR) engine technology.
  • It is capable of operating under all weather conditions, both day and night, and offers high overall reliability and a very high ”Single Shot Kill Probability – SSKP”.

Q1: What is the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)?

DRDO is an agency under the Ministry of Defence. Headquartered in New Delhi, DRDO was formed in 1958 by amalgamating the Defence Science Organisation and a few technical development establishments. DRDO is India's largest research organisation. It has a network of laboratories engaged in developing defence technologies covering various fields, like aeronautics, armaments, electronics, land combat engineering, life sciences, materials, missiles, and naval systems.

Source: Air Force approves production of 200 Astra missiles