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The Mistral has a maximum intercept range of 6.5 kilometers and can be used to take out hostile Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and helicopters.

The Mistral has two launchers each carrying two missiles and it is already integrated into India’s Rudra helicopter and Light Combat Helicopter.

Under the licensing agreement MBDA will transfer the equipment and knowledge to Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for establishing the facility that will start operation in the current fiscal year.

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India is developing two advanced variants of the Astra beyond visual range air-to-air missiles – Astra Mk-2 and Mk-3 – with one of them capable of striking targets at a range of 160km, when ready, and the other at almost 300km. The missiles are likely to be tested next year and in 2024 respectively, and are among the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) key ongoing programmes. The current Astra Mk-1 variant has a range of around 100km.

Long-range missiles allow fighter jets to shoot down hostile aircraft from a significant standoff range, staying out of the adversary’s air defence envelope.

IAF Orders Astra Mk 1

The defence ministry, on May 31, signed a Rs 2,971-crore contract with Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) to equip the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy with Astra Mk-1 missiles and associated equipment, which was seen as a shot in the arm for “Atmanirbharta”, or self-reliance, in the defence manufacturing sector. DRDO has transferred technology to BDL for the production of the Astra Mk-1 and associated systems.

This is the first such indigenous missile to enter the service of the Indian armed forces, which has always depended on Russian (mainly R 73 and R 77) and French (Mica and Meteor) air-to-air missiles.

The government has ordered 248 missiles, including 48 for the Indian Navy. These will cater to the Sukhoi Su-30 MKI of the IAF and the MiG-29K of the Indian Navy. The Astra Mk 1 missile cost about Rs 7-8 crore each.

The plan is to integrate the missile on board the MiG-29 of the IAF and Light Combat Aircraft ‘Tejas’ Mk 1 in a phased manner.

While the Astra Mk 1 has a range of about 110 kilometres, sources said the real game-changer will be the next-generation version, which will have a long range of about 160 kms.

Astra Mk 1

The all-weather, night-capable missile is designed to engage and destroy fast-maneuvering supersonic aircraft. It is equipped with a fully indigenous active terminal guidance system and advanced electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) to reduce the effectiveness of enemy jamming. The missile also features lock-on before launch (LOBL) and lock-on after launch (LOAL) capability, allowing launching aircraft to take advantage of its reported maximum range of more than 100 kilometers. Astra Mk 1 has a maximum speed of Mach 4.5 (over 5,500 kmph).

The Astra Mk-1 missile has been fully integrated with the Sukhoi-30 fighters and will now add to the capabilities of other combat planes including the Tejas light combat aircraft, the officials said. Also, the navy’s MiG-29K fighters, which operate from India’s sole aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, will be equipped with the Astra Mk-1 missile.

Retaining Edge Over Pakistan

The IAF had an advantage over its Pakistani counterparts during the Kargil battle in 1999, but lost it in 2010 when the longer-range American AMRAAM was deployed by the latter.

During the aerial clash, India lost one MiG-21 fighter, while its more modern Su-30MKIs were forced to take defensive maneuvers to avoid getting hit by Pakistan’s US-made AIM-120 BVR missiles fired from F-16s.

Pakistan’s victory in this aerial clash may be attributed to its familiarity with India’s Su-30MKIs armed with Russian R-77 BVR missiles and its superior US-made AIM-120 BVR missiles fired from its F-16s.

Pakistan has a known stockpile of 500 AIM-120 BVR missiles for its F-16 fleet, giving it an edge versus India in BVR combat since 2010. It is considered among the most advanced weapon of its type in the world, equipped with an active seeker head with a range of 100 kilometers, in contrast to the export versions of India’s R-77 BVR missile that have a shorter range of 80 kilometers.

The then IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, had on 28 February 2020 said that the force is looking at regaining the upper hand in air-to-air missile capabilities that was “allowed to slip” amid a “struggle” to acquire missiles in a process that has lasted 15 years. The IAF chief was referring to the European-manufactured Meteor missiles, which have a range of about 150 km, which are now on board the Rafale fighters.

Plans to have them integrated with other fighters were ditched, however, because the cost was very high, with each missile costing about Rs 25 crore. Moreover, the European manufacturer of the missile — MBDA — told the IAF that the French-made Mirage 2000 and the Russian Su-30 MKI are not suitable for this missile, because the radars on board these aircraft would not do justice to its capability.

For the Tejas aircraft, MBDA said that the missile can be integrated only when the aircraft is equipped with the indigenous AESA radar, rather than the Israeli one that will be initially used. Following this, the IAF decided to restrict the Meteor missile to the Rafale and rely on better versions of Astra and Israeli I-Derby for its main firepower.

China has developed the PL-15 beyond visual range air-to-air missile that can hit targets at around 200km, while the Meteor  with a range of around 160 km is considered the best in its class in the western world, and the new Astra variants will put India in the big league.

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis has exposed India’s overwhelming dependence on imported weaponry, especially from Russia, and underlined the urgent need for speeding up the indigenisation drive to become self-reliant.

Development Journey

India is developing the Astra series to replace the expensive Russian, French, and Israeli-origin beyond-visual-range missiles.

The development of the Astra missile began in 2001. The Mark-1 version of the missile was tested for the first time in May 2003. Since then, Astra Mark-I has been test-fired multiple times and integrated with Su-30 MKI fighters. Apart from the Su-30 MKIs, it will be integrated with Tejas Mark-1A and upgraded MiG-29s.

India has claimed to have fully indigenized production of the Astra, with the Indian Ministry of Defense saying that the missile had been designed with the need to reduce dependence on foreign sources. An early Astra version was equipped with the Russian Agat 9B-1103M active radar seeker and radio proximity fuse detonation mechanism. Sanctions on Russia – India’s traditional military supplier – could mean that sensitive components such as missile seeker heads may be harder to procure in the coming years.

In 2018, the DRDO informed Parliament that it had formally sanctioned the Astra Mark-2 project, although work had begun informally much earlier. The Mk-2 version is now entering developmental trial.

Ramjet Propulsion

Astra Mark-2 has a range of around 160 km. The new missile will have improved jammer resistance and an indigenous seeker. The missile will be equipped with a dual-pulse rocket motor, which is critical for its long range.

India has tested the technology critical for long-range air-to-air missiles. The latest test of solid-fuelled ducted ramjet (SFDR) technology was conducted in April 2022. The technology was also tested in March and December 2021. Astra Mark-3 is based on the SFDR propulsion, which is critical to the missile’s performance in the terminal phase.

The development of SFDR technology will enable India to make its own long-range air-to-air missile, which could mirror the capabilities of the best missiles in this class, like MBDA’s Meteor, which the Indian Air Force uses on its Rafales.

The Meteor missile also depends on its ramjet propulsion for more energy to manoeuvre during the endgame of the engagement. The ramjet motor [propulsion system] provides the [Meteor] missile with thrust all the way to target intercept, providing the largest No-Escape Zone of any air-to-air missile,” the literature on the missile on the MBAD website reads.

Export Potential

The move to develop the Astra missile with extended range is in line with India’s efforts to improve its aerial warfare capabilities against Pakistan, indigenize its defense industry and potentially position itself as an alternative source of Russian standard equipment.

Astra is economically and technologically superior to many such imported missile systems now in Indian service, such as the Russian R-77, Israeli Derby, and French Meteor BVR missiles.

Moreover, India has included the development of indigenous BVR missiles in its Third Positive Indigenization List, which mentions 101 military items that India aims to produce domestically from 2022-2027.

India may also choose to export its Astra Mk1, capturing a market niche for alternative suppliers of Soviet and Russian-standard equipment as questions rise about their reliability and effectiveness in sight of the losses Moscow has sustained in Ukraine.

International sanctions on Russia may also have made it difficult for its client states to place new weapons orders. Countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam may opt to purchase the Astra, which may be compatible with their Su-30 fighters and be more capable than the older Russian R-77 missiles which they now have in their inventories.

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The Astra Mk-2 and Mk-3 missiles are likely to be tested next year and in 2024 respectively, and are among the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) key ongoing programmes, said one of the officials cited above.

The current Astra Mk-1 variant has a range of around 100km.

The defence ministry on May 31 signed a ₹2,971-crore contract with Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) to equip the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy with Astra Mk-1 missiles and associated equipment, which was seen as a shot in the arm for “Atmanirbharta”, or self-reliance, in the defence manufacturing sector.

DRDO has transferred technology to BDL for the production of the Astra Mk-1 and associated systems.

“Future air combat will be about detecting and striking targets at the farthest possible range. It will be the outcome of increase in the detection ranges of radars and the advent of longer-range missiles. It is important for India to develop missiles like Astra Mk-2 and Mk-3 to meet IAF’s requirements,” said Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd), director general, Centre for Airpower Studies.

China has developed the PL-15 beyond visual range air-to-air missile that can hit targets at around 200km, while the Meteor with a range of around 160 km is considered the best in its class in the western world, and the new Astra variants will put India in the big league, he added.

The Astra Mk-1 missile has been fully integrated with the Sukhoi-30 fighters and will now add to the capabilities of other combat planes including the Tejas light combat aircraft, the officials said. Also, the navy’s MiG-29K fighters, which operate from India’s sole aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, will be equipped with the Astra Mk-1 missile.

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis has exposed India’s overwhelming dependence on imported weaponry, especially from Russia, and underlined the urgent need for speeding up the indigenisation drive to become self-reliant.

Long-range missiles allow fighter jets to shoot down hostile aircraft from a significant standoff range, staying out of the adversary’s air defence envelope.

India has imposed a phased ban on the import of 310 different types of weapons and systems during the last two years to boost self-reliance in the defence manufacturing sector.

These include lightweight tanks, naval utility helicopters, artillery guns, missiles, destroyers, ship-borne cruise missiles, light combat aircraft, light transport aircraft, long-range land-attack cruise missiles, basic trainer aircraft, multi-barrel rocket launchers, assault rifles, sniper rifles, specified types of helicopters, next-generation corvettes and airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) systems.

The 310 weapons and systems that have to be developed in the country were notified in three separate positive indigenisation lists published by the defence ministry in August 2020, May 2021 and April 2020.

Since the notification of the first and second lists, contracts for 31 projects worth ₹53,839 crore have been signed by the defence services as of April 2022, according to defence ministry data.

Also, acceptance of necessity (AoN) for 83 projects worth ₹1,77,258 crore was accorded by April 2022, and cases worth ₹2,93,741 crore will be taken up in the next five to seven years.

The domestic industry is likely to receive orders worth ₹2,10,000 crore in the next five years as a result of the third list, according to the defence ministry’s projections.

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ASTRA is a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) class of Air-to-Air Missile (AAM) system designed to be mounted on fighter aircraft.

The missile is designed to engage and destroy highly manoeuvering supersonic aircraft. The missile has all weather day and night capability. The ASTRA Mk-I Weapon System can be fitted to SU-30 Mk-I fighter aircraft.

In 2019, DRDO successfully flight tested ‘Astra’ from Su-30 MKI platform off the coast of Chandipur.

Astra BVRAAM has range of more than 100 kms with modern guidance and navigation techniques. The missile has midcourse guidance and RF seeker based terminal guidance to achieve target destruction with pin point accuracy. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed the ASTRA MK-I BVR AAM based on the requirements issued by the IAF catering for Beyond Visual Range as well as close combat engagement reducing the dependency on foreign sources.

Astra Missile is designed to be launched from fighter aircraft like SU-30, Mirage-2000, MIG-29, LCA-Tejas etc. Astra missile system is developed to neutralise aerial targets such as F-16 aircraft. Filled warheads have been successfully tested for static and dynamic performance.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has played a role in modifying the aircraft for weapon integration. More than 50 public and private industries have contributed in building the Astra weapon system.”The Transfer of Technology from DRDO to BDL for production of ASTRA MK-I missile and all associated systems has been completed and production at BDL is in progress. This project will act as a catalyst for development of Infrastructure and Testing facilities at BDL. It will also create opportunities for several MSMEs in aerospace technology for a period of at least 25 years. The project essentially embodies the spirit of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and will help facilitate realising the country’s journey towards self-reliance in Air to Air Missiles,” the defence ministry said in its release.

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