Giving a boost to indigenous production of missile systems, the Defence Ministry on Tuesday signed a contract worth Rs 2,971 crore with the Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for supply of ASTRA MK-I Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Air to Air Missile (AAM) and associated equipment for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category.
Giving details of the contract, officials said here till now, the technology to manufacture missiles of this class indigenously was not available. ASTRA MK-I BVR AAM has been indigenously designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) based on the requirements of the IAF catering for Beyond Visual Range as well as Close Combat Engagement reducing the dependency on foreign sources.
The Air to Air missile with BVR capability provides large stand off ranges to the fighter aircraft which can neutralise the adversary aircraft without exposing itself to adversary air defence measures, thereby gaining and sustaining superiority of the air space, they said. This missile is technologically and economically superior to many such imported missile systems.
ASTRA MK-I missile and all associated systems for its launch, ground handling and testing are developed by the DRDO in coordination with the IAF. The missile, for which successful trials have already been undertaken by the IAF, is fully integrated on the Su 30 MK-I fighter aircraft and will be integrated with other fighter aircraft in a phased manner, including the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft(LCA).
The Navy will integrate the missile on the MiG-29K fighter aircraft based at the lone aircraft carrier INS Viramaditya.
The transfer of technology from the DRDO to the public sector BDL for production of ASTRA MK-I missile and all associated systems has been completed and production at the BDL is in progress. This project will act as a catalyst for development of Infrastructure and testing facilities at the BDL.
It will also create opportunities for several MSMEs in aerospace technology for a period of at least 25 years. The project essentially embodies the spirit of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and will help facilitate realising the country’s journey towards self-reliance in air to air missiles.