The Astra Mk 1 was successfully integrated with the Indian Air Force's Tejas Mk 1 in 2023. (DRDO)
The Indian Air Force (IAF) hasapproved the production of 200 additional Astra Mk 1 air-to-air missiles, an IAF source confirmed to Janes on 8 August.
According to the source, IAF Deputy Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit granted the service's approval for the production during a visit to the manufacturer, Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), in Hyderabad, South India, earlier in August. The missile first entered IAF service in 2017.
Janes understands that the approval for production will support deliveries of the missile to IAF units operating the Tejas Mk 1 and Sukhoi Su-30s. The IAF source could not specify the timeline of deliveries of the additional batch, stating that this was dependent on BDL's production schedule.
“However, we require the missiles as soon as possible,” the IAF source said.
The approval for the additional production comes nearly two years after the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) awarded BDL a contract in 2022 to supply the 200 missiles and associated equipment to the IAF, as well as 48 for the Indian Navy, according to an MoD announcement in May 2022. The contract had a value of INR29.7 billion (USD350 million).
The Astra Mk 1 is an all-weather, all-aspect beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) developed by India's Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO). Developed under Indiaʼs Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), the Astra Mk 1 is intended to provide the IAF with a domestic source of BVRAAM weaponry.
For more information on the missile, please seeAstra .
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