In a significant boost to indigenous missile manufacturing capabilities, the Indian Air Force has granted approval to Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), a public sector company, for the production of 200 Astra Mark 1 air-to-air missiles.
The Astra Mark 1 missiles have been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) with BDL serving as the production agency.
The production clearance was issued to BDL during a recent visit by Indian Air Force Deputy Chief Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit to Hyderabad, according to Indian Air Force officials.
“The IAF Deputy Chief visited the DRDO’s Defence Research and Development Laboratory, the development agency for the Astra missiles,” they stated.
“The Defence Acquisition Council approved the over Rs 2,900 crore project in 2022-23, and the production clearance has now been given following the completion of all tests and developments,” defence sources reported.
The Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) is the primary lab for this project.
The Astra missiles will be equipped on both the Russian-origin Su-30 and the indigenous LCA Tejas fighter aircraft after production.
The Indian Air Force is supporting numerous indigenous missile projects, with three to four such programs nearing completion, including air-to-ground missiles.
The DRDO and IAF are gradually advancing the Astra programme and are now aiming to test the Mark 2 of the weapon system with a range of approximately 130 km.
Plans are also underway to test and develop a long-range Astra missile with a strike capability of 300 km.
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