The Indian Air Force's (IAF) beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM), Astra, has successfully completed development trials over the Bay of Bengal, off the coast of Chandipur in Odisha, India.
A total of seven trials were conducted against pilotless target aircraft (PTA) between 11-14 September.
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The final development flight trials involved engaging the target at very long-range, engaging high manoeuvring target at medium-range, and multiple launches of missiles in a salvo to engage multiple targets.
During the trials, all the sub-systems, including the indigenous RF seeker, performed accurately and met all the mission parameters and objectives, the Indian Ministry of Defence stated.
Two missiles were also launched in the combat configuration with warhead and the targets were neutralised.
The Astra BVRAAM has been indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to engage and destroy aerial targets with high-manoeuvrability and supersonic speeds.
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By GlobalDataHindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was involved in modifying the aircraft for weapon integration.
More than 50 public and private industries have contributed in building the Astra weapon system.
The 3.8m-long missile features high single-shot kill probability (SSKP) and is capable of operating under all weather conditions.
The electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) feature improves the missile's target tracking capacity by reducing the effect of electronic countermeasures of the enemy targets in jamming environments.
