Air-to-air missile Astra test-fired from Sukhoi-30 MKI

India on Tuesday successfully flight-tested its indigenously developed air-to-air missile Astra, off the coast of Odisha. The state-of-the-art missile was launched from Sukhoi-30 MKI as a part of user trials by the Indian Air Force, an official statement said.

"The live aerial target was engaged accurately demonstrating the capability of first indigenous air-to-air missile," it said. Noting that the mission profile was executed in a textbook manner, it said various radars, Electro-Optical Tracking System (EOTS) and sensors tracked the missile and confirmed its engagement with target.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Air Force teams for the successful test, the statement said. Designed by the DRDO, the beyond visual range Astra missile is capable of engaging targets of different ranges and altitudes, defence sources said.

The sophisticated missile, which has a strike range of over 70 kms, can fly towards the target at a speed of over 5,555 km per hour, they said. The missile has a 15-kilogramme high-explosive pre-fragmented warhead, the sources added..