Astra BVRAAM
India's Indigenous Air-to-Air Missile Programme
The Astra is India's first indigenously designed Beyond-Visual-Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM), developed by DRDO's Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad. The programme was formally sanctioned in 2004, and the missile achieved its first successful test flight on 4 May 2014. Production technology was transferred to Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), which secured a production contract valued at ₹2,971 crore under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category for supply to the Indian Air Force and Navy.
- Astra Mk-1 specifications: range of roughly 80–110 km depending on launch altitude; speed above Mach 4; weight around 170 kg; diameter 178 mm.
- Guidance: mid-course inertial navigation with data-link updates, terminal-phase active radar homing (fire-and-forget capability).
- Currently integrated on the Su-30MKI, the mainstay of the Indian Air Force's fighter fleet, and inducted by the Indian Navy.
- Follow-on variants under development: Astra Mk-2 (dual-pulse motor, range 150–200+ km) and Astra Mk-3 (ramjet propulsion, targeting roughly 300 km range).
- Indonesia's air force operates a fleet of Su-30 fighters, the same aircraft family on which Astra is already integrated in Indian service — easing technical integration.
● Tracked since July 07, 2026 · last seen July 07, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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