New Delhi: Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, successfully fired the indigenous ASTRA Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile off the coast of Goa today. The missile release was carried out from the aircraft at an altitude of about 20,000 feet. All the objectives of the test were met and it was a perfect textbook launch, the Ministry of Defence stated.
ASTRA, a state-of-the-art BVR air-to-air missile to engage and destroy highly manoeuvring supersonic aerial targets, is designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Research Centre Imarat (RCI) and other laboratories of DRDO.
The indigenous Astra BVR firing from a homegrown Tejas fighter is a major step towards ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, the Ministry said.
The test launch was monitored by the Test Director and scientists of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) along with officials from the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) and Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DG-AQA). The aircraft was also monitored by a Chase Tejas twin-seater aircraft.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented the Aeronautical Development Agency, Defence Research and Development Organisation, the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification, Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance and the industry for the successful firing of the missile from Tejas-LCA. He said the launch would significantly enhance the combat prowess of Tejas and reduce the dependency on imported weapons.
The Secretary of the Department of Defence (Research and Development) and Chairman Defence Research Development Organisation also congratulated the teams involved in the successful launch.
– global bihari bureau
