India Successfully Test Fires Air-to-Air Astra Missile

The pre-induction test firing of the missile was carried out over the Bay of Bengal on Wednesday afternoon, the Indian Defense Ministry announced later in the evening.

Astra was successfully test fired by the Indian Air Force from a Su-30 aircraft that had taken off from Air Force station Kalaikunda, a defense statement said, Xinhua news agency reported.

The missile successfully engaged a maneuvering target with high precision, meeting the mission objectives, it added.

"The flight test assumes significance as it was part of the series of final pre-induction trials," the statement said.

Astra is India's first all-weather, beyond-visual-range, air-to-air missile developed by the state-owned Defense Research and Development Organization.

The missile features mid-course inertial guidance with terminal active radar homing, and is designed to be capable of engaging targets at varying range and altitudes from 20 km to 80 km.

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