Achi news desk-
A symbolic image
– Photo: ANI
expansion
India will this year conduct the first test of the Astra Mark-2 air-to-air missile with the aim of increasing the capability of the Air Force’s fighter fleet. The range of this missile is said to be 120-130 kilometers.
The Astra Mark-1 missile with a range of 100 km is already included in the Indian Air Force fleet. The Astra Mark-1 LCA is deployed on Tejas and SU-30 MKI fighter jets. A senior defense official said that work on the Astra Mark-2 missile is ongoing .soon we will do its first test, he said that the Astra Seaman 2 will give the Indian Air Force an edge over its opponents during air-to-air combat.
DRDO is also working on Astra Mark-3
He further said that the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is also developing a longer version of Astra Mark-3 along with Astra Mark-1 and Astra Mark-2. He said that Pakistan has the Chinese PL-15 long-range air-to-air missile, but there is no clear information about its capabilities. The Ministry of Defense has already signed a contract with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) to supply air-to-air missiles for the Indian Air Force and Navy, he said.
