India To Boost Firepower With ASTRA
India is filling up its inventories with munitions lethal enough to take down the enemies
Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has successfully conducted test-launch of home-grown ASTRA, Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) from LCA AF MK1 prototype fighter aircraft. The test launch was carried out on March 12, 2025 off the coast of Chandipur, Odisha.
The test-firing successfully demonstrated the direct hit of the missile on a flying target. All the subsystems performed accurately meeting all mission parameters and objectives. ASTRA missile is designed and developed by DRDO capable of engaging targets over 100km and equipped with advanced guidance and navigation capabilities that allows the missile to destroy targets with greater accuracy. The missile is already inducted into the Indian Air Force.
The successful test-firing is a significant milestone towards the induction of the LCA AF MK1A variant. The success is the result of hard work by the integrated team of Scientists, Engineers and Technicians from ADA, DRDO, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) along with support from CEMILAC, DG-AQA, IAF & Test range team. Further trials are planned towards the performance evaluation.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated the teams of DRDO, IAF, ADA, HAL and all involved in the trial. Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat appreciated the efforts of Scientists, Engineers and Technicians from various organisations and industry.
It may be noted that Astra has already been inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) and integrated with front-line fighter aircraft Sukhoi 30 MKI. “This successful test is a significant milestone towards the induction of LCA AF MK1A variant of the missile. More trials have been planned for its performance evaluation,” the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement.
The 3.8 metre long state-of-the-art missile has a launch weight of about 154 kg. It uses solid-fuel propellant and a 15 kg high-explosive warhead, activated by a proximity fuse. The missile has been designed to destroy targets at varying range and altitudes allowing for engagement of both short-range targets (up to 20 km) and long-range targets (up to 100 km) using alternative propulsion modes.
It is difficult to track this missile as its on-board electronic counter-measures jam signals from the enemy radars. As an anti-aircraft missile, it can be fired after receiving a signal from a far away target through its on-board manoeuvres based on radio frequency.
One of its versions with a strike range of 100 km can cruise at an altitude of 15 km while another having a range of 40 km can destroy a target at an altitude up to 30,000 ft, and the third one with a range of 30 km is capable of hitting the target at sea level altitude.
Astra is a powerful tool in aerial combat because of its sophisticated characteristics. With the missile, a pilot can target enemies that are far out of their line of sight. The missile’s 20-kilometer operational ceiling guarantees that it could successfully attack adversaries in a variety of combat situations.
The Astra missile, which can reach Mach 4.5, offers the quick reaction and interception essential in modern air combat. Its 100–120–second flight time allows it to eliminate threats quickly, a capability fully verified by DRDO’s rigorous testing on several platforms, including Tejas.
The sophistication of Astra extends to its guidance system. Using a combination of inertial guidance, mid-course updates, and terminal active radar homing (effective at 13 kilometers), the missile ensures high precision in target engagement. This advanced guidance, coupled with its resistance to electronic countermeasures (ECM), significantly enhances the Indian Air Force’s combat effectiveness.
The Astra, India’s first indigenously developed beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM), has been positioned as a superior alternative to the widely used Russian-origin R-77 missile.
Vinod Kumar, General Manager of New Projects at BDL, stated last year: “Astra is currently in production, and we anticipate receiving additional orders. We are also exploring the possibility of exporting the Astra missile.”
