The trials of the indigenous Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) 'Astra' were held between 16 and 19 September off the eastern coast of Odisha.
Stating that the five trials conducted during this period tested missiles in different configurations, the Indian Defence Ministry on Thursday said: “During the campaign, three missiles were launched in combat configuration with warhead and manoeuvring targets being neutralised to establish the end game capability of the missile."
Air-to-Air missile Astra successfully flight tested from Su-30 MKIhttps://t.co/okTopB4TBv pic.twitter.com/Ep9xXaVfeG
— DRDO (@DRDO_India) September 17, 2019
The trial campaign also included a direct hit of the target by the telemetered missile at a maximum range of over 100 km with modern guidance and navigation techniques.
"The present flight trials have proved the end to end performance of the missile system in various combat scenarios giving greater confidence to users,” the ministry said.
“The five successful trials of Astra will culminate into induction of the missile system into Indian Air Force, which will certainly be a force multiplier considering its accuracy and effectiveness in neutralising aerial threats," the ministry said.
The state-owned organisation has been also developing higher range version of the missile which may become the primary missile for the Indian Air Force jet in near future.
Currently, the Indian Air Force has been importing its main missile from Russia and France.
India's state-owned Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) has already made arrangement to supply bulk orders ahead of schedule from its special production facility set up in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
