India testfires air-to-air Astra ballistic missile

 India Friday testfired air-to-air ballistic missile Astra from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in the eastern state of Orissa, highly placed sources said.

"The ballistic flight test of the beyond-visual-range missile was carried out at 09:50 a.m. local time. However, we are yet to know whether the test has been successful. Two more tests are likely to be conducted in the next two days," they said.

The missile, envisaged to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft at supersonic speeds at a range of 80 km, would be integrated with fighter aircraft Su-30 MKI.

Astra, which uses solid propellant, can carry a conventional warhead of 15 kg. It is 3.8-meter long and has a diameter of 178 mm with an overall launch weight of 160 kg.

Posted in: India testfires air-to-air Astra ballistic missile