Now Reading: Astra missile: India’s BVR weapon vs AIM-120C AMRAAM
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Astra missile: India’s BVR weapon vs AIM-120C AMRAAM
India's Astra Mk-1 beyond-visual-range missile has a reported range of 80-110 km and a speed of Mach 4.5, businesstoday.in reports, but the American AIM-120C AMRAAM leads with a proven combat record spanning…
The Story in Brief
India's Astra Mk-1 beyond-visual-range missile has a reported range of 80-110 km and a speed of Mach 4.5, businesstoday.in reports, but the American AIM-120C AMRAAM leads with a proven combat record spanning three decades. The Astra, developed by DRDO and manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Ltd, is India's first indigenous BVR missile and is integrated with the Su-30MKI.
The AIM-120C is integrated across many Western fighters including F-15, F-16, and F-35. Astra's biggest strength is its role in defence self-reliance, with an indigenous radio-frequency seeker. India is developing the longer-range Astra Mk-2.
The Indian Opinion
Claims that India's Astra missile matches the AIM-120C overlook the critical factor of combat experience. The AMRAAM has been battle-tested across decades; Astra has not. While indigenous development is commendable, overhyping capability risks setting unrealistic expectations. The real measure will come when Astra Mk-2 enters service and faces simulated or real combat scenarios. Only then can we truly compare.
Source: businesstoday.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
