Rise of Astra version 2.0

[Anony]

Astra missile being test-fired at the Integrated Test Range in Odisha 2012.

It was almost decade back in 2003 when for first time Astra was tested without control and guidance systems in media tests were dubbed Successful but in actual, missiles failed to clear mission objectives and it was re-tested again with marginal success in following years , until time came when Missile was back on drawing board and scientist ditched old design and worked on a new missile design .

It was only in 2012 when newly designed missile was tested again with total success, achieving the entire mission objectives, according to sources who informed idrw.org that it was most challenging and complex missile program DRDO and its labs had ever taken and admitted earlier missile was unstable in flights.

Captive flight trials in a Sukhoi-30MKI were successfully carried out this summer and first test firing of missile from Sukhoi-30 will be carried out by end of this year, once it achieves success missile will be integrated with indigenously developed Lca Tejas fighter aircraft by 2015.

DRDO have informed that Astra-1 will have 44km range and Astra-2 will have range close to 100km, but sources have informed idrw.org is that Astra-2 will not replace former but will be used in combination with Astra-1 by fighter aircrafts of Indian air force.

DRDO is planning to complete User trails by mid of 2015 and put Astra-1 in production by end of 2015 and new Astra-2 will likely be ready in Next three years. Missile according to sources will have similar design but will weigh more and will have better and advance seeker.

Sources have hinted that likely spin off Astra project will be development of advance mobile anti-aircraft missile system. System will be quick reaction missile system with 360° engagement capability that can engage aircraft, helicopters and drones.

-----------------------------------x---------------------------------x--------------------------------

For WVR - Astra -1

For BVR - Astra-2

 

[kurup]

First conduct the fight test of Astra1 and operationalise it before talking about Astra2 ......

 

[IND151]

Astra missile being test-fired at the Integrated Test Range in Odisha 2012.

It was almost decade back in 2003 when for first time Astra was tested without control and guidance systems in media tests were dubbed Successful but in actual, missiles failed to clear mission objectives and it was re-tested again with marginal success in following years , until time came when Missile was back on drawing board and scientist ditched old design and worked on a new missile design .

It was only in 2012 when newly designed missile was tested again with total success, achieving the entire mission objectives, according to sources who informed idrw.org that it was most challenging and complex missile program DRDO and its labs had ever taken and admitted earlier missile was unstable in flights.

Captive flight trials in a Sukhoi-30MKI were successfully carried out this summer and first test firing of missile from Sukhoi-30 will be carried out by end of this year, once it achieves success missile will be integrated with indigenously developed Lca Tejas fighter aircraft by 2015.

DRDO have informed that Astra-1 will have 44km range and Astra-2 will have range close to 100km, but sources have informed idrw.org is that Astra-2 will not replace former but will be used in combination with Astra-1 by fighter aircrafts of Indian air force.

DRDO is planning to complete User trails by mid of 2015 and put Astra-1 in production by end of 2015 and new Astra-2 will likely be ready in Next three years. Missile according to sources will have similar design but will weigh more and will have better and advance seeker.

Sources have hinted that likely spin off Astra project will be development of advance mobile anti-aircraft missile system. System will be quick reaction missile system with 360° engagement capability that can engage aircraft, helicopters and drones.

-----------------------------------x---------------------------------x--------------------------------

For WVR - Astra -1

For BVR - Astra-2

Thanks for info

So Astra-1 will be like AA-11 and Astra-2 will be R-77/R-27

 

[rockstarIN]

There were no talk of Astra-1 with 44 km range earlier. So far Astra 2 means ramjet version of astra with 140 km range. All of s sudden they came up with these 44 km range blunder like LCA MK-1 and MK2.

 

[livingdead]

I dont believe any of these claims is true..

 

[Echo_419]

Avinash Chandar seems to be following the Footsteps of Saraswant

 

[Anony]

There were no talk of Astra-1 with 44 km range earlier. So far Astra 2 means ramjet version of astra with 140 km range. All of s sudden they came up with these 44 km range blunder like LCA MK-1 and MK2.

It's not at all sudden. It was published before that Astra will have flight envelope of 44km if fired from above 8km altitude and 80km if fired above 11km altitude and 21km at sea level.

It was also informed that Astra-2 will have 110km-120km flight range as oppose 80km of Astra-1

And today they have given a clearer picture.

 

[IND151]

^^thanks for explanation

 

[rockstarIN]

It's not at all sudden. It was published before that Astra will have flight envelope of 44km if fired from above 8km altitude and 80km if fired above 11km altitude and 21km at sea level.

It was also informed that Astra-2 will have 110km-120km flight range as oppose 80km of Astra-1

And today they have given a clearer picture.

Where did the km wise information? can you share the link?

Usually everybody give range of higher altitude, in Astra-1's case they should have given 11 km ot 15 km range.

 

[Anony]

Where did the km wise information? can you share the link?

Usually everybody give range of higher altitude, in Astra-1's case they should have given 11 km ot 15 km range.

India on Saturday successfully test-fired a reconfigured version of its beyond visual range (BVR) new generation air-to-air missile 'Astra' from the integrated test range (ITR) at Chandipur off the Odisha coast.

Defence sources said, the missile was fired from the launching complex – II of the ITR at about 3.30 pm. The missile successfully intercepted a pilotless target aircraft (PTA) – Lakshya, flown around 15 minutes prior to the launching of the missile, mid air. The test came a day after a similar trial conducted from the same test range.

ITR Director MVKV Prasad said the mission was successful as it validated all data as expected. “The missile was fired against a live pilotless target aircraft. The interception was done at an altitude of 4 km. All the mission objectives have been met,” he told ‘The New Indian Express’.

The trial was reportedly carried out to test the missile’s reconfigured guidance systems, avionics and the functioning of the communication in Radio Frequency. Entirely a complex missile Astra has been designed to intercept fast-moving aerial targets at supersonic speeds.

Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Astra is designed for an 80-km range in head-on mode and 20 km-range in tail-chase mode. As an anti-aircraft missile it can be fired after receiving a signal from the far away target through its onboard manoeuvres based on radio frequency.

“One of its versions having 90 to 110 km range can cruise at an altitude of 15 km, another having a range of 44 km can destroy a target at an altitude up to 30,000 ft while the third one with a range of 30 km is capable of hitting the target at sea level altitude,” said a defence scientist.

After the post mission analysis, a source informed that though the missile did not directly hit the PTA, but it destroyed the target through its onboard proximity fuse, which means the missile passed very close to the aircraft and hence the mission was accomplished.

Astra is a ‘state of the art’ being developed for the air force. The 3.8 metres long missile, which has launch weight about 154 kg, uses solid-fuel propellant and a 15 kg high-explosive warhead, activated by a proximity fuse.

Sources said there would be another test on Monday when the missile is expected to intercept a simulated electronic target, which will be followed by launches from various aerial platforms.
“After the developmental trials, the DRDO would go for aerial tests of the missile. Though it is an air-to-air missile, the tests on Friday and Saturday were conducted from specially built ground launchers,” Prasad said.

The launch was witnessed by Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister and DRDO chief Vijay Kumar Saraswat, CC R&D (Missiles and Strategic Systems) Avinash Chander, DRDL Director AK Chakrabarti, Astra Program Director N Prabhakar and Project Director S Venugopal.



For the time being, go through this link: I will try to find the source I got information from.
India successfully test fires reconfigured 'Astra' missile - The New Indian Express