The Ministry of Defence in India has recently signed a contract with Bharat Dynamics Ltd., a public-sector company based out of Hyderabad. This contract, worth Rs 2,971 crore, focuses on the supply of the Astra Mark-1 for use by fighter jets in both the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy. The following article delves into the details of the Astra Missile, its variants, key features, strategic significance, and certain previous questions from the UPSC Civil Services Examination.
Astra Missile: An Overview
The Astra project was initiated in the early 2000s. By 2017, the development phase of the first version, Mk-1, was completed, paving the way for several successful tests conducted from Sukhoi-30 MKIs. Anticipating the future, the project also proposed parameters for other variants of Astra. Currently, besides Mk-1, the Mk-2 and Mk-3 versions are under development, offering longer ranges. There’s also a version with a range shorter than Mk-1 being developed.
Examining Astra Mk-1
The Astra Mk-1 is a Beyond Visual Range (BVR), Air-to-Air Missile (AAM). BVM missiles can engage targets beyond 20 nautical miles or 37 kilometers, while AAMs are designed to destroy airborne objects from an airborne asset. The range for Astra Mk-1 is around 110 km, making it a formidable asset in defense operations. The defence powerhouse, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has designed and developed this powerful missile system.
Strategic Significance of Astra
India’s dependency on foreign sources for BVR and close-combat engagement missiles could potentially decrease with the indigenous production of Astra, which is designed to meet the specific needs of the Indian Air Force (IAF). Astra’s BVR capability enables large stand-off ranges for Indian fighter aircraft, aiding the neutralization of adversary airborne assets without exposing them to defensive actions.
Technologically and economically, Astra stands superior to many imported missile systems. With the ability to reach speeds more than four times that of sound and a maximum altitude of 20 km, it offers tremendous flexibility in air combat.
Integration with Fighter Aircraft
The integration process of Astra is fully completed for the Sukhoi 30 MKI I and will be integrated with other fighter aircraft gradually, including the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas. The future plan involves integrating the missile with the MiG-29K fighter aircraft deployed on Navy’s aircraft carriers. This step significantly enhances the lethality of India’s Aircraft carriers.
Past UPSC Civil Services Examination Questions Related to Missiles
In 2014, a question was asked about the Agni-IV Missile. The correct answer to this question was option (a), which stated that Agni-IV is a surface-to-surface missile. The explanation provided is that Agni-IV has a strike range of 4,000 km and is a two-stage, solid-fueled system that can carry a one-tonne nuclear warhead, debunking the statements that it is fuelled only by liquid propellant and can deliver one-tonne nuclear warheads about 7500 km away.
In 2009, another question focused on the Shourya missile. The correct response was option (d), stating that neither of the given statements was correct. The explanation provided clarifies that the Shourya is a hypersonic surface-to-surface tactical missile developed by DRDO for the Indian Armed Forces. Its speed is Mach 7.5, and its range isn’t as stated in the question.
