New Delhi: In a major capability boost for the Air Force’s fighter fleet, India is planning to carry out the first test of the 120–130 km strike range Astra MK-2 air-to-air missile in next few months.

The Astra MK-1 air-to-air missile with strike range of around 90–100 kms is already in the Indian Air Force and is already integrated with the TEJAS and the Su-30MKI fighter jets.

The work on developing the 120-130 km strike range Astra MK-2 air-to-air missile is going on and we are looking to carry out the first test firing in the next few months, defence officials told ANI.

The Astra MK-2 would give the Indian Air Force an edge over the adversaries in air-to-air combat and can also be offered as an export product to friendly foreign countries operating the Russian origin Sukhoi, they said.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation has been working towards developing the Astra MK-1 and Astra MK-2, along with a longer version, the Astra MK-3, which would give it a capability similar to the Meteor missiles that have come to India along with the Rafale fighter jets.

The Pakistanis may have long-range Chinese PL-15 air-to-air missiles but there is no clarity about the claims made by them about its capabilities.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has already signed a contract with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for supplying Astra MK-1 beyond visual range air-to-air missiles (BVRAAM) for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Navy.

(With Agency Inputs)