New Delhi: India’s first indigenous air-to-air missile Astra will soon be tested from the first home-grown fighter Tejas, in yet another major step towards making the weapon the mainstay of the country’s combat fleet against hostile jets in the years ahead.
The integration of the Astra beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM), which flies over four times the speed of sound at Mach 4.5, on the Tejas and the “initial ground trials” are virtually complete. “The flight trials of the indigenous missile on the indigenous fighter will begin within the next few months,” said a source.
The all-weather day and night capable Astra, which currently has a strike range of around 100-km, will eventually replace the expensive Russian, French and Israeli BVRAAMs that are currently imported to arm IAF fighters.
This story is from the November 23, 2020 edition of The Times of India Mumbai.
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This story is from the November 23, 2020 edition of The Times of India Mumbai.
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