Astra Mark-1

02 Jun 2022 Astra Mark-1

Astra Mark-1 – Today Current Affairs

• Recently the Ministry of Defense has signed a contract with Hyderabad based public sector ‘Bharat Dynamics Limited’ (BDL) company for the supply of Astra Mark-1.
• Contract was signed for deployment of fighter jets of Indian Air Force and Indian Navy at a cost of Rs 2,971 crore.

Today Current Affairs

Astra Missile and its Variants:

• The Astra project was officially launched in the early 2000s with defined parameters and proposed future forms.
• The development phase of the Astra Mark-1 missile variant was completed around the year 2017.
• Many successful trials have been done from Sukhoi-30 MKI since the year 2017.

Astra Mark-1 Missile : The Hindu Analysis

• Astra is India’s first indigenously manufactured Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM).
• BVM missiles are capable of hitting beyond a range of 20 nautical miles or 37 kms.
• AAMs are released in the air to destroy an air target.

Range : The Hindu Analysis

• The Astra Mark-1 has a range of about 110 km.
• Mark-II with a range of more than 150 km is being developed and a longer-range Mark-III variant is being envisaged.
• Another variant of Astra, which has a lower range than the Mark-I, is under construction.
• It has been developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

Strategic Importance:

 Reduction in dependence on foreign sources : The Hindu Analysis

• The missile is designed based on the requirements specified by the Indian Air Force (IAF) for BVR as well as reducing dependence on close-competition, foreign sources.
• AAMs with BVR capability provide a large stand-off range for their fighters which can neutralize enemy air assets while shielding themselves from adverse air defense measures.
• Stand-off range refers to the sufficient distance at which the missile can be launched to protect the attacking side from attack.

Technically and economically better : The Hindu Analysis

• Astra is technically and economically superior to many such imported missile systems.
• This missile can travel more than four times the speed of sound and has a maximum range of 20 km. Therefore, it is highly efficient for aerial warfare.

Other fighters can be integrated with : The Hindu Analysis

•  The missile is fully integrated on the Sukhoi 30 MK II and will be integrated with other fighter aircraft in a phased manner including the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas.
• It will integrate the missile on MiG-29K fighter aircraft that are deployed on Navy aircraft carriers. Thus increasing the lethality of India’s aircraft carriers.

In this article we mention all information about Astra Mark-1  Today Current Affairs.

Yojna Daily Current Affairs Hindi med 1 June

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