The Indian Air Force (IAF) has approved the production of 200 Astra Mark 1 air-to-air missiles by public sector company Bharat Dynamics Limited, a move that will strengthen the country’s missile manufacturing capabilities.
The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), along with BDL as its production agency, has been developing the Astra Mark1 missiles. Indian Air Force (IAF) officials told the media that the production approval to the BDL was granted during Deputy Chief Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit’s recent visit to Hyderabad.
An IAF spokesman stated, “The Deputy Chief of the IAF paid a visit to the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDO), the organization responsible for developing the Astra missiles.”
“The Defense Acquisition Council approved the over? 2,900 crore project in 2022–2023 and production clearance was given for that order after all tests and developments were completed,” he continued.
The project’s nodal lab is the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL). After production, the indigenous LCA Tejas fighter aircraft and the Russian-built Su-30 will both be equipped with Astra missiles.
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The Indian Air Force is providing support to numerous domestic missile projects, including three or four air-to-ground missile programs that are almost finished.
The DRDO and IAF are gradually advancing the Astra program, and they are currently considering testing the Mark 2 of the weapon system at a distance of about 130 kilometers.
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