BALASORE: Defence scientists are planning to conduct a series of tests of indigenously developed India’s first beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile ‘Astra’.
The decision comes days after the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) gave a clean waiver to India to carry out nuclear commerce. A source in the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, 15 km from here, said the test would be conducted between September 11 and 20.
‘‘The scientists have planned to carry out two or three tests of ‘Astra.’ The missile would be launched from complex II of the ITR,’’ the source said.
‘If weather permits and everything goes as planned, the first attempt may be made on Thursday. Or else, the tests will be conducted on September 13 and 17 for which range integration has already been completed,’ it added.
‘Astra’ missile, a part of India’s Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The aim is to equip the Indian Air Force’s Mirage 2000, MiG-29, Su-30 MKI and the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) with an indigenously-designed beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM).
The missile, which has strike range of 25 to 40 km, uses a terminal active radar-seeker and a mid-course internal guidance system with updates to track targets. The on-board capability allows it to jam radar signals from an enemy’s surface-to-air battery, ensuring that the missile is not tracked or shot down.
‘The 3.6-metre long missile has a launch weight of about 154 kg and uses solid-fuel propellant and a 15 kg high-explosive warhead, activated by a proximity fuse. The missile has a maximum speed of 2.2 Mach and a maximum altitude of 20 km,’ said a scientist.
‘Although designed to use a locally-developed solid fuel propellant, DRDO is reportedly looking at rocket/ramjet propulsion to provide greater range and enhanced kinematics performance,’ he said.
Being extremely complex, only a few countries like the US, Russia, France and Israel have managed to develop BVR missiles.
Once operational, the ‘Astra’ will be cheaper and advanced, capable of destroying highly-manoeuvrable supersonic aerial targets, the scientist added
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