http://www.gizmodo.in/indiamodo/Indian-Air-Force-Expects-To-Induct-Beyond-vision-Air-to-air-Missile-Astra-Next-Year/articleshow/51393332.cms

Indian Air Force Expects To Induct Beyond-vision Air-to-air Missile Astra Next Year
IANSMar 14, 2016, 03.01 PM IST
Indian-Air-Force-Expects-To-Induct-Beyond-vision-Air-to-air-Missile-Astra-Next-Year

With the indigenous beyond-vision air-to-air missile Astra set to be fired in public view for the first time, the Indian Air Force expects to induct the high-tech weapon into its inventory next year.

The missile, which took more than a decade to develop, is undergoing trials which are likely to finish by the year end, an official from the IAF told IANS on condition of anonymity.

Astra will be on display at IAF’s fire-power demonstration Iron Fist in Pokhran, Rajasthan, on March 18, where a Su30 MKI jet will fire the missile. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to scheduled to witness the fire-power demonstration.

According to scientists, the technology for this missile is more sophisticated than that of ballistic missile Agni, as it works on a terminal active radar-seeker and an updated mid-course internal guidance system that helps the missile in locating the target.

The seeker, said the official, was one reason why the missile, being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), was delayed for so long.

“The trials are going on well and the missile has given a great performance,” the official said.

The missile can be fired from beyond visual range, honing in and locking on to the target with the help of the seeker. With high-energy propellant, it has the capability to follow it, despite complicated manoeuvres.

“The missile has given high performance, even intercepting a target which was making high-G manoeuvres in more than one trials,” the official said, adding this showed its enhanced capability.

The tests ahead include full configuration firing at actual manoeuvring targets that will mimic enemy fighters. The missile also has the ability to overcome jamming by hostile aircraft — a critical feature.

The Astra is a single-stage solid-propellant missile that is 3.57 m long and 178 mm in diameter, with a 154 kg launch weight and a 15 kg conventional explosive payload.

It has active radar terminal guidance, electronic counter-countermeasures and smokeless propulsion.

The missile has been designed to engage high-speed targets at short range, up to 20 km in tail chase mode and long range, up to 80 km in head-on chase mode, according to the DRDO.

At sea level, it has a range of up to 20 km but has a range of 44 km if launched from an altitude of 8,000 metres and 80 km when fired from an altitude of 15,000 metres.

Except for failure in one test, the missile has completed all tests successfully.

Also IAF has been very hush hush about what the Mirage 2000-I upgrade includes.

Does it have the RDY-2 or RDY-3 radar for instance

And when will this happen?

It already does viz the Block 50 series. If we see whats onboard the current LCA
– EL/M-2032
– Dash HMD
– Python-V, Derby (Astra which is equivalent to RVV-AE /AMRAAM-C is in final trials)
– Griffin and Paveway 2 LGBs
– RWR suite w/EW jammer to be added as part of the SOP-18 for Mk1A
– Full glass cockpit + HOTAS
– MCS + RLG based nav attack
– FBW
– Multipurpose pylon suite (able to handle Indian/Western/Russian/Israeli weapons)
– Litening capability

etc.

The Mk1A adds EL/M-2052 AESA, and an external EW jammer plus additional improvements.

The F-16 has a better envelope but the LCA does have HMD and the Python-V and a CFT equipped F-16 may not be as agile as the earlier Block
Of course, in payload and sheer range, the F-16 is far ahead.

Actually the requirements decide the capability of any jet fighter. LCA was conceived as a point defense fighter with CAS capability. It will exceed the requirements it was built for with acceptable cost and hence will be successful.

Besides its a starting block for indigenous fighter jet capability for India. Its a great first jet to start with. Once India masters the fighter jet engine technology and AESA radar technology it will have full indigenous capability. Thats why I said gradual.

With more no. of squadrons equipped with LCA,, the dependence on imports will reduce thus saving valuable $$.

Even F16 went th through its own. Isn’t it?

Agree, but all I was saying was that the equivalence to the F-16 needs to be qualified.
And I do hope we get a LCA Mk2 with RCS improvements and more range, payload. Our own Gripen E as it were.

If the writer does not know his facts technically, he should not be employed IMO.

The military do, however, keep a lot of things close to their chest. Especially when something is going wrong or has gone wrong. Journalists do need to talk to people who leak information. People who (for obvious reasons) do not want to be identified. All sorts of incompetence in the procurement process is hidden in the interests of “national security”.

As for this journalist (or various other Indian journalists) having an anti-local procurement agenda, that’s the prerogative of editorial writers to me. Agree with you there.

By the way, I have not received a response to my email to the journalist concerned.

Thing is, where is the evidence that “anything went wrong” – it seems to be a cooked up story plain and simple. Not the first time, such tactics have been done and won’t be the last time either.

Journalists in India have not really covered themselves with glory and judging by the public reaction and the epithets they receive, their perception of being neutral or relying on the truth, is greatly tarnished.

OK, I didn’t dig. Sorry. I assumed that the report in defencenews was factual.

It said: ‘…Indian Air Force (IAF) officials say the missile is too bulky…’

You’re free to challenge the veracity of that statement. I didn’t. When I was a journalist you would need to justify contentious copy to the editor. If you could show the editor that what you wrote was accurate in its factual content, it passed. If not, it was not published. The journalist reports that Indian Air Force (IAF) officials say the missile is too bulky. There are 3 possibilities here:

1 Indian Air Force (IAF) officials did not say that

2 Indian Air Force (IAF) officials did say that

3 the journalist misunderstood what Indian Air Force (IAF) officials said and incorrectly interpreted that they said the missile was too bulky when they were not in reality saying that

I’ll email Vivek Raghuvanshi at Defense News and ask him if he stands by what he wrote in that article, shall I? Not being trite there. I will email him and see what response I get.

Addendum

The journalist quotes a senior IAF official – “DRDO has never kept us in the loop about this missile…” Either the journalist is making it up, has defective hearing whereby he misheard what was said (impossibly unlikely) or what he has written is correct and accurate. The latter is perfectly good journalism IMO. I will ask him if he maintains that he quoted verbatim what his interviewee said.

He gets the very basics of the program in question wrong. He gets the basics of ARMs in service with the IAF and those WW wrong. Then he quotes anonymous sources alleging the above things.

A bit of straight forward reasoning is required here. What credence does any journalist have if he makes such basic errors in his claims?

How is the editorial policy that it allowed such rubbish to get tge headline??

Also dont ypu find it the least bit suspicious that the mans track record is all about claiming local programs will invariably fail and imports will be made (except when they arent). Suffice to say most indian journos writing on defense wouldnt know a mortar from a motor and this gent is even beyond those limits. His so called sources are in all likelihood as credible as less than 100kg ARMs in aervice with the IAF.

http://www.samtel-hal.com/hud.php

This is nothing but the Su967. Samuel probably struck up a license production deal to help HAL.