Astra Missile

Astra (Sanskrit: "Weapon") is an Indian family of all weather beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy. Multiple variants of this missile has been developed with engagement range varying from to . Astra Mk-1 has been integrated with the Sukhoi Su-30MKI fleet. The missile will be integrated with the entire fighter fleet except the Dassault Mirage 2000 of the Indian Air Force as well as the Dassault Rafale fleet of the Navy. In 2024, the missile was cleared for full production.

Description

Astra Mark-1

Astra Mk-1 is long with a diameter of and weighs . It uses mid-course inertial guidance driven by fibre-optic gyroscope with terminal guidance through active radar homing. It is capable of receiving course corrections through a secure data link. The missile's active radar seeker, with a homing range of , was designed by Russia's Concern Morinformsystem-Agat but manufactured within India. The seeker can lock-on to a target with a radar cross section of 5 square metres from a distance of 15 km and enables off-boresight launches up to an angle of 45°. Some tests in 2017 and 2018 validated an indigenous seeker replacing the earlier seeker. It is an improved active Ku, X band monopulse radio-frequency (RF) seeker developed by Research Center Imarat.

Astra Mk-1 is equipped with electronic counter-countermeasures to allow operation even during enemy attempts to jam the seeker using electronic countermeasures. It carries a high explosive pre-fragmented warhead activated by a proximity fuse. It uses a smokeless solid fuelled motor that can propel the missile to a speed of Mach 4.5 and allows operation from a maximum altitude of . Its maximum range is in tail chase mode and in head on chase mode. The maximum range is achieved when the missile launched from an altitude of . When it is fired from an altitude of , the range drops to and when it is launched from sea level, the range drops further to . It can be launched in both autonomous and buddy mode operation and can lock on to its target before or after it is launched.

Astra Mark-2

The Astra Mk-2 has a maximum range of depending on the firing altitude. Upgrades includes an in-house developed dual- pulse rocket motor, laser proximity fuze and an indigenous AESA radar seeker among others.

Gandiva

The Gandiva missile, previously Astra Mark-3, incorporate an air-breathing propulsion system designated as Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) setting it apart from the predecessors. By dimensions, the missile has a length of and a diameter of . This throttlable propulsion system significantly improves the range of the missile at at altitude and a range of at altitude. As per reports, the missile’s launch speed ranges from Mach 0.8 to 2.2 while the target hit speed ranges from Mach 2.0 to 3.6. It can engage highly maneuverable fighter aircraft with high angle of attack of up to 20 degrees. With its "±10 km snap-up/snap-down capability" the missile allows the pilots to engage targets at both higher or lower altitudes with respect to the firing aircraft. The missile utilises a two-way data link for mid-course guidance from the launch aircraft or friendly AEW&C aircraft and also employs electronic counter-countermeasures.

VL-SRSAM

Development

Preliminary work on Astra Mk-1 had begun by 1990 with the completion of a pre-feasibility study. It was revealed to the public for the first time at Aero India 1998. It was described as an elongated Matra Super 530D with a smaller diameter in front of the wings. The project to develop the missile was officially sanctioned in 2004 with a budget of . The project was to be led by Defence Research and Development Laboratory with assistance from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Electronics Corporation of India Limited. The initial version of Astra Mk-1 reportedly weighed with a range of and was planned to be integrated with HAL Tejas. It was tested for the first time in May 2003.

The missile was redesigned around 2006 due to control issues and performance deficiencies at high altitude. The initial design of four cruciform short-span long-chord wings were replaced by cropped delta wings placed near the nose. The redesigned missile had an improved propulsion system and was tested for the first time in 2008. By 2013, the missile had been redesigned again in response to multiple failures caused by adverse interactions between flight control surfaces. The control, guidance, and propulsion systems were also reconfigured. After the second redesign, the missile was lighter than the initial version by around . It was tested from the ground thrice in December 2012 and captive trials from a Sukhoi Su-30MKI were held in April 2013. The aerodynamic characterization research was conducted at the National Aerospace Laboratories' 1.2m Trisonic Wind Tunnel Facility.

Variants

* Astra Mk-1: Basic variant with a range of .
* Astra Mk-2: Extended range variant with a maximum range of . It retains most of the features of Mk-1 variant with multiple upgrades including new indigenous dual- pulse rocket motor, laser proximity fuze and AESA radar seeker. Development of the type was first reported in 2020.
* ''Gandiva'': The variant, designated as Astra Mk-3, is named after '' Gandiva'' of ''Arjuna'' from the ''Mahabharata.'' The missile, based on the Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR), exhibits a maximum range of . The missile enables combat aircraft to engage strategic targets including AEW&C, transport aircraft, in-flight refuellers, strategic bombers as well as enemy fighter aircraft at long distances.
* Astra IR: A planned shorter ranged variant with an imaging Infra-red homing seeker with a range of .
* VL-SRSAM: It is the surface-to-air missile derivative of the Astra family based on Indian Navy's requirements to replace older Barak 1 short range SAM system. VL-SRSAM will equip Indian Navy ships like Kamorta-class corvette as a short range air defense system and guided by its Revathi radar.

Trials

Astra Mark-1

Astra Mk-1 went through a series of ground tests from 2003 till 2012 in three different configurations to validate the airframe, propulsion system, control system, dual mode guidance and night firing capability. Carriage trials were carried out in 2009 and 2013 on Sukhoi Su-30MKI.

In May 2014, it was fired for the first time in air. On 18 March 2015, it successfully performed manoeuvre of upto 30g while engaging the target.

The missile was fired in public during Iron Fist 2016 exercise from Sukhoi Su-30MKI.

Between 11 and 14 September 2017, Astra Mk-1 was tested for seven times as part of user assisted trials including twice with an indigenous seeker. The missile hit its designated pilotless target aircraft accurately each time while the new seeker trials were done for the second time.

During user trials in 2019, it hit a target at a distance of .

Astra Mk-1 with an indigenous seeker (instead of a Russian variant supplied by AGAT) is expected to be tested for the first time in May 2022.

On 23 August 2023, Astra Mk-1 was successfully test fired from HAL Tejas aircraft off the coast of Goa from an altitude of .

On 12 March 2025, Astra Mk-1 was successfully test fired from a Tejas Mk1 prototype over the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, Odisha. The missile scored a direct hit on a flying target at a range of over 100 km. This test was significant for the subsequent induction of Tejas Mk1A aircraft. Further trials are also expected for performance evaluation.

Astra Mark-2

During an annual press conference on October 4, 2022, IAF released footage of an Astra Mk-2 launched from a Su-30MKI using Unified Common Launcher developed by DRDO with industry partners for air-to-air missiles.

Reports released in April 2024 suggested that the missile will be tested in first half of 2024 with an initial target range of around 130 km.

Reports in September 2024 suggested that a series of developmental and user trials of the Astra Mk 2, with a range of 140-160 km, will be conducted in 2025 which will be completed by 2026 and followed by induction in the same year. Full scale production is expected by 2027. There has been a few design modifications which led to delays.

Astra Mark-3

The missile's under development propulsion system was first tested on 30 May 2018 and further test was carried out on 8 February 2019.

As per the Ministry of Defence's Year End Review, Astra Mk-3 with solid fuel ducted ramjet (SFDR) propulsion was flight tested in 2023 which enabled the missile to intercept aerial threats over a far greater distance at supersonic speed. The missile was configured with nozzle-less booster, thrust modulation system and a sustainer engine to deliver specific impulse in ramjet mode.

By March 2025, the missile completed two in-flight tests FT-01 and FT-02 validating separation mechanisms after the previous ground tests for booster and nozzleless boosters. The missile will now undergo firing trials from the Sukhoi Su-30MKI and HAL Tejas.

Production

Astra Mk-1 completed final development trials in September 2017 and was cleared for production by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL). The missile will be manufactured at Bhanur facility near Sangareddy (Telangana) for an initial order of 50 missiles. The facility was launched on 27 August 2017. Additional order of 248 missiles were placed for Indian Air Force (200) and Indian Navy (48) for use on various platforms like Sukhoi Su-30MKI, HAL Tejas, MiG-29 / MiG-29K.

On 31 May 2022, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed contract with BDL worth ₹2,971 crore (US$383 million) to produce 350+ units of Astra Mk-1 for Indian Air Force and Indian Navy under high priority Indian Designed, Developed and Manufactured (IDDM) category. DRDO already started the process of transferring technology of the missile and associated systems to BDL. Each missile will cost ₹7–8 crore. Astra Mk-1 along with other variants of this missile will progressively replace all Russian origin long range air to air missile in Indian fleet.

On 14 January 2024, the Minister of State for Defence, Ajay Bhatt flagged off the first production batch of Astra for the Indian Air Force from Bharat Dynamics Limited's Kanchanbagh Unit in Hyderabad. On 4 August 2024, the missile was cleared full-rate production by the then Deputy COAS Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit on his visit to Hyderabad unit of BDL.

Exports

It was published in August 2023 that Brazil was exploring possibility of equipping its Gripen fighters with Astra Mk-1 missiles as a cost-effective option. According to a report published in The Print on September 14, 2024, Armenia has inquired about the possibility of purchasing Astra Mk-1. Discussions are in early stages.

Operators

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* Indian Air Force
* Indian Navy

Gallery

File:Astra missile launched from a ground-based launcher.jpg, Astra tested from ground-based launcher during initial developmental trial.
File:ASTRA, the indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM), successfully test fired by the Indian Air Force from Su-30 aircraft, from Air Force Station, Kalaikunda on September 26, 2018.JPG, Astra fired from an Indian Air Force Su-30MKI
File:Astra BVRAAM successfully test fired from Su-30MKI off the Odisha coast on September 17, 2019.jpg, Su-30MKI fires an Astra missile

See also

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References

External links

Globalsecurity



Technical:

DRDO Technology Focus : Warhead for Missiles, Torpedoes and Rockets

{{DEFAULTSORT:Astra Missile
Defence Research and Development Organisation
Air-to-air missiles of India
Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles
Guided missiles of India
Post–Cold War weapons of India
Military equipment introduced in the 2010s