Astra BVRAAM
India's Indigenous Air-to-Air Missile
Astra is India's first indigenously developed Beyond-Visual-Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM), designed by DRDO's Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad. The project was formally sanctioned in 2004 with a budget of ₹955 crore. The first successful test flight of Astra Mk-1 took place on 4 May 2014. Production was transferred to Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) under a Buy (Indian-IDDM) contract worth ₹2,971 crore.
- Astra Mk-1: Range of approximately 110 km (high-altitude launch); speed ~Mach 4+; weight ~170 kg; diameter 178 mm.
- Guidance: Mid-course inertial navigation with data-link updates; terminal phase uses active radar homing (fire-and-forget).
- Currently integrated on IAF's Su-30MKI; also inducted by the Indian Navy.
- Astra Mk-2 (under development): Dual-pulse solid rocket motor, range 150–200+ km, speed ~Mach 4.5.
- Astra Mk-3 (development stage): Ramjet propulsion, targeting ~300 km range, operational induction aimed at 2029.
- Indonesia's Air Force operates the Su-30MKI platform, making integration of the Astra Mk-1 relatively straightforward.
● Tracked since July 07, 2026 · last seen July 07, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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