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Platform profile · India · Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile · Indian Air Force; Indian Navy

Astra Beyond-Visual-Range Air-to-Air Missile

High activity

Operational Mk-I production and integration continue, while Indonesia supply was announced on 7 July 2026 and enhanced-range Mk-II procurement has received Acceptance of Necessity.

On 7 July 2026, an Indian government official said India would supply Astra air-to-air missiles to Indonesia, giving the indigenous programme a major export opening in Southeast Asia. On 29 December 2025, the Defence Acquisition Council approved Acceptance of Necessity for enhanced-range Astra Mk-II missiles, following two successful indigenous-seeker launches from a Su-30MKI on 11 July 2025 and a direct-hit LCA AF Mk1 trial on 12 March 2025. Astra is India's indigenous beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile family; the specifications below describe the operational Mk-I, while Mk-II is the longer-range follow-on. For India, the family reduces reliance on imported air-combat weapons and is central to arming Su-30MKI and Tejas fighters against increasingly long-range regional threats.

Updated 7 Jul 2026

A full-scale Astra air-to-air missile is displayed above its launcher unit at a Bharat Dynamics exhibition stand.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Verified figures

Specifications

Specifications — Astra Beyond-Visual-Range Air-to-Air Missile
Specification Value
Range 80-110 km ↗
Maximum engagement altitude Up to 20 km ↗
Length 3,840 mm ↗
Diameter 178 mm ↗
Flight duration 100-120 s ↗
Maximum speed Mach 4.5 ↗
Propulsion Solid rocket motor ↗
Warhead High-explosive pre-fragmented warhead ↗
Guidance and seeker Inertial guidance with mid-course update and terminal active radar homing; 13 km terminal homing range ↗
Qualified launch platform Su-30MKI fighter aircraft ↗

Spec sources: bdl-india.in ↗ · pib.gov.in ↗ · pib.gov.in ↗

Changelog

Program timeline

  1. An Indian government official said India will supply the Astra air-to-air missile to Indonesia during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the country.

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  2. The Defence Acquisition Council accorded Acceptance of Necessity for enhanced-range Astra Mk-II missiles as part of tri-service proposals worth about ₹79,000 crore.

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  3. DRDO and the Indian Air Force conducted two Astra launches from a Su-30MKI off Odisha against high-speed unmanned aerial targets, with both missiles destroying their targets and validating the indigenous RF seeker.

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  4. The Aeronautical Development Agency test-launched Astra from an LCA AF Mk1 prototype off Chandipur, achieving a direct hit on a flying target and meeting all mission objectives.

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  5. Raksha Rajya Mantri Ajay Bhatt flagged off indigenously manufactured Astra missiles at Bharat Dynamics Limited's Kanchanbagh unit for supply to the Indian Air Force.

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  6. LCA Tejas LSP-7 fired Astra off Goa at an altitude of about 20,000 ft, and the test met all stated objectives.

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  7. The Ministry of Defence signed a ₹2,971 crore contract with Bharat Dynamics Limited for Astra Mk-I missiles and associated equipment for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.

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