India test-fires air-to-air missile ''Astra'' from Sukhoi jet

Balasore (Odisha), September 17 

India on Tuesday successfully flight-tested the indigenously developed air-to-air missile Astra that was fired from a fighter aircraft, said an official statement.

The state-of-the-art missile was launched from Sukhoi-30 MKI off the coast of Odisha as part of user trials by the Indian Air Force(IAF), said the statement released by the Defence Ministry.

Designed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the beyond visual range Astra missile is capable of engaging targets of different ranges and altitude, defence sources said.

The sophisticated missile has a strike range of over 70 km, they said.

It has a 15-kg high-explosive pre-fragmented warhead, the sources added.

“The live aerial target was engaged accurately demonstrating the capability of first indigenous air-to-air missile,” the statement said.

Noting that the mission profile was executed in a textbook manner, it said various radars, Electro-Optical Tracking System (EOTS) and sensors tracked the missile and confirmed its engagement with target.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO and IAF teams for the successful test, the statement said. — PTI