The 3.8-metre-long ‘state-of-the-art’ Astra missile has a launch weight of about 154 kg. It uses solid-fuel propellant and a 15 kg high-explosive warhead, activated by a proximity fuse.The missile has been designed to destroy targets at varying ranges and altitudes, allowing for the engagement of both short-range targets (up to 20 km) and long-range targets (up to 100 km) using alternative propulsion modes.Fitted with a terminal active radar seeker and an updated mid-course internal guidance system, the missile can locate and track targets. It is difficult to track this missile as its onboard electronic countermeasures jam signals from enemy radars.As an anti-aircraft missile, it can be fired after receiving a signal from a faraway target through its onboard manoeuvres based on radio frequency.One of its versions, with a strike range of 100 km, can cruise at an altitude of 15 km, while another, with a range of 40 km, can destroy a target at an altitude of up to 30,000 ft, and the third one, with a range of 30 km, is capable of hitting a target at sea-level altitude.Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated the teams of DRDO, IAF, ADA, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and all involved in the trial.
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