DHAKA: India finally tested its first indigenous air-to-air missile ‘Astra’ from a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet, marking a significant turning point in the decade-long tortuous developmental saga of the complex beyond visual range (BVR) weapon.

The test-firing of the sleek BVR missile over the Arabian Sea off Goa is the first concrete step after several false starts and technical glitches like a defective aerodynamic configuration since the project was first sanctioned in March 2004 at an initial cost of Rs 955 crore.

Astra will now have to undergo a battery of full-scale trials covering the entire flight envelope, especially against ‘actual manoeuvring targets’ mimicking enemy aircraft, before it can arm IAF fighters like Sukhoi-30MKIs, MiG-29s and the indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft.

DRDO, however, is now confident it will be able to meet the revised project completion date of December 2016.

Astra is to initially have a 44-km range with ‘high single-shot kill probability’, while its Mark-II version will be able to hit enemy aircraft over 100 km away.

‘Astra’s successful launch from the Sukhoi-30MKI is a major step in missile-aircraft integration. This will be followed by missile launch against an actual target shortly. Many more trials are planned and will be conducted to clear the launch envelope. Weapon integration with Tejas will also be done in the near future,’ said DRDO chief Avinash Chander, The Times of India publishes this report on Monday.

BDST: 1612 HRS, MAY 05, 2014