India successfully test-fires indigenously developed air-to-air missile

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI (AA) – India on Wednesday successfully test-fired an indigenously developed Astra beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile from Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas off the coast of Goa, said an official statement.

According to the statement by the Ministry of Defense,“The missile release was successfully carried out from the aircraft at an altitude of about 20,000 feet. All the objectives of the test were met and it was a perfect launch.”

ASTRA, a state-of-the-art BVR air-to-air missile to engage and destroy highly maneuvering supersonic aerial targets, is designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Research Centre Imarat (RCI) and other laboratories of DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation). The indigenous Astra BVR firing from home grown Tejas fighter is a major step towards ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (self reliant India).

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has complimented all the agencies involved in the task.

He said, “The launch would significantly enhance the combat prowess of Tejas and reduce the dependency on imported weapons.”

The test launch was monitored by the Test Director and scientists of Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) along with officials from Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) and Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DG-AQA), according to the statement.

The aircraft was also monitored by a Chase Tejas twin seater aircraft.