Astra BVRAAM

[Sea Eagle]

Hope they test the Astra Mk II in Vertical launch configuration so we can use this missile to arm our future naval ships and also this can be used buy the army as LR SAM

 

[Sea Eagle]

The Astra, tested over the sea off Goa, was launched by a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter that slung the missile on an under-wing pylon. Already travelling at several hundred kilometres an hour (the speed of the aircraft at the time of launch), the missile's smokeless propellant quickly accelerates it to about 4,000 kmph in an operational launch, as it screams towards the target fighter. A data link with the Sukhoi-30MKI continuously updates the missile, steering it towards a target that might have detected the missile and is manoeuvring to get away. At 15 km from the target, the Astra's on-board seeker picks up the target and homes in on it. Reaching near the target, a radio proximity fuse detonates the Astra warhead metres from the target, shooting it down.

The air launcher, a rail on which the missile hangs and from which it is launched, is a Russian Vympel launcher that is being built in India. It will allow the Astra to be fired from all four of India's current generation fighters - the Su-30MKI, MiG-29, Mirage 2000 and the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft.
Astra components that the DRDO has successfully developed indigenously include the data link between aircraft and missile, its on-board computer, inertial navigation system, the radio proximity fuse and the fibre-optic gyroscope.

Business Standard

 

[Sea Eagle]

Will DRDO's ASTRA Missile Be A Contender For the IAF's BVR RFP?


The missile, sanctioned in 2004 at $1.5 billion, was fired over the Arabian Sea off Goa and was declared a success following a host of technical glitches like a defective aerodynamic configuration since its conception.
The test comes only months after the Indian Air Force issued an RFP for the possible procurement of the BVR missile. While possible contenders include the Russian R-77 Adder, the Raytheon AIM-120D and MBDA Meteor BVR missiles, the indigenous Astra could likely make a play for the tender.
The DRDO is now confident it will be able to meet the revised project completion date of December 2016. Astra is to initially have a 44-km range with "high single-shot kill probability", while its Mark-II version will be able to hit enemy aircraft over 100 km away.
The BVR missiles are quite complex, with rocket/ramjet propulsion, micro-computers, active radar guidance/inertial navigation systems, terminal radar frequency seekers and the like - since they have to effectively destroy highly-agile supersonic fighters packed with "counter-measures" at long ranges.

Will DRDO's ASTRA Missile Be A Contender For the IAF's BVR RFP?

 

[Sea Eagle]

Warheads at supersonic speeds, on the ground

Avinash Chander, Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister, who inaugurated the facility on May 12, called it "a unique facility which allows you to test many situations on the ground for which you have to otherwise use missiles, launch vehicles and aircraft."

Captive flight testing
A velocity of Mach 3 could be achieved on the ground with this facility. "The tracks will enable aerospace components to be tested on the ground at supersonic speeds, said Mr. Chander, who is also the DRDO Director-General.
Ravi Gupta, DRDO spokesman, said the facility allowed the country "to do captive flight testing."

Mr. Chander said the DRDO had started using the facility by firing the radio proximity fuse of its air-to-air Astra missile on May 12. The performance of the proximity fuse of the interceptor missiles can be evaluated using this system.
"In the case of interceptor missiles, you can use two parallel tracks and you can fire two missile warheads in opposite directions. They cross each other at a very high velocity and their performance can be measured," he explained.
Manjit Singh, Director, TBRL, said the capability acquired from using the facility would accelerate the pace of development of defence and aerospace technologies.

Warheads at supersonic speeds, on the ground - The Hindu

 

[Pandora]

 

[Neeraj Mathur]

3rd Test Of India's Astra BVRAAM From Su-30


DRDO statement: ASTRA BVR-Air-to-Air Missiles was tested successfully from Su-30MKI by the Indian Air Force from a naval range off Goa. The launch conducted on 20th Jun 2014 from over 6 km altitude was a control and guidance flight which successfully demonstrated interception of an electronically simulated target at long range. Both, tests, today's test and earlier launch on 09th June 2014 conducted to demonstrate the aerodynamic characteristics of the missile, have demonstrated the repeatability, robustness and endurance capability of Astra BVR-AAM as a weapon system.

Livefist: 3rd Test Of India's Astra BVRAAM From Su-30

 

[Twinblade]

 

[Neeraj Mathur]

i think the pics are of old test

 

[Twinblade]

i think the pics are of old test

Yes, the exact same position of the Sukhoi gives it away And they thought people wouldn't notice.

 

[Pandora]

3rd Test Of India's Astra BVRAAM From Su-30


DRDO statement: ASTRA BVR-Air-to-Air Missiles was tested successfully from Su-30MKI by the Indian Air Force from a naval range off Goa. The launch conducted on 20th Jun 2014 from over 6 km altitude was a control and guidance flight which successfully demonstrated interception of an electronically simulated target at long range. Both, tests, today's test and earlier launch on 09th June 2014 conducted to demonstrate the aerodynamic characteristics of the missile, have demonstrated the repeatability, robustness and endurance capability of Astra BVR-AAM as a weapon system.

Livefist: 3rd Test Of India's Astra BVRAAM From Su-30

3rd?? any one heard about 2nd test:shocked:

 

[Neeraj Mathur]

Yes, the exact same position of the Sukhoi gives it away And they thought people wouldn't notice.

if thats the case

good eye brother

 

[dealwithit]

3rd?? any one heard about 2nd test:shocked:

Another Astra test-fire successful



Launched from a Su-30MKI it hit its target 65 km away

The indigenously-developed Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Astra missile was successfully test-fired by the Indian Air Force from a Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft off the Goa coast on Friday to demonstrate interception of a simulated target.

This was the second successful firing of the missile from a Su-30MKI in as many as 12 days. Another launch was conducted on June 9 from an altitude of five km to check the missile's aerodynamics and stability.

In Friday's trial, the missile was fired from an altitude of 6.8 km against a simulated long-range target 65 km away in a controlled and guided flight.

Astra's project director S. Venugopal said all parameters, like the guidance of the missile towards the target during the terminal phase, were validated in the mission. He said the demonstration of the long-range interception proved that Astra was on par with similar missiles of its class in the world.

Both tests have demonstrated the repeatability, robustness and endurance capability of Astra as a weapon system.

DRDO Director-General and Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister Avinash Chander attributed the success of the trials to the joint efforts of DRDO and IAF. He congratulated the IAF test team and ASTE (Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment) for carrying out the trials despite heavy monsoons on the western coast.

The success of the trials was a confirmation of DRDO's maturity in air-to-air missile design and implementation, said DRDO Director-General (Missiles and Strategic Systems) V.G. Sekaran.

Dr. Venugopal said the next firing from a Su-30MKI would be against a real target (a Lakshya pilotless target aircraft) after the monsoon.

While the missile was launched at subsonic speed in the trials conducted so far, future tests would be in supersonic to expand the launch envelope.

The project director said all pre-induction trials would be completed by next year and the missile would meet all the performance requirements of the IAF.

Another Astra test-fire successful - The Hindu

 

[Pandora]

65 Km is pretty good,it seems they gradually increasing the range and altitude with every test.

 

[knathan]

Hi to all, i am new here.

missile was fired from an altitude of 6.8 km, at subsonic speed got range 65km, if ASTRA fired from altitude 15km at supersonic speed easily get 100km, so mk1=100km, mk2=150km+, someone correct me if i am wrong.

65 Km is pretty good,it seems they gradually increasing the range and altitude with every test.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Its hard to speculate, But previously what we knew is now useless ..

Astra range was underestimated ...

 

[abhi_the _gr8_maratha]

Hi to all, i am new here.

missile was fired from an altitude of 6.8 km, at subsonic speed got range 65km, if ASTRA fired from altitude 15km at supersonic speed easily get 100km, so mk1=100km, mk2=150km+, someone correct me if i am wrong.

many says its range is max 80km but wiki claims it as 80-110km. But we can't say anything until it is tested till max range. What we know till now is it has range of 65 km.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

India successfully tests home-grown Astra AAM - IHS Jane's 360

 

[sgarg]

Astra is finally a reality. This weapon is very important as it provides not only a long range air-air missile but also a basis for a long range surface to air missile.

The current Astra with 80km range is quite sufficient for India/Pakistan scenario. This is the missile that will bring down F-16s.

 

[Lions Of Punjab]

 

[LETHALFORCE]

..:: India Strategic ::. IAF: India tests Astra BVRAAM Successfully for a 3rd time