SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
After the Integration of the India-made Astra Mk1 Beyond visual range air-to-air missile to be soon followed by Israeli Derby-I BVRAAMs, India’s fleet of Russian-origin Su-30MKI will also be getting next-generation close combat missile as part of its upgrade program and trials of the European ASRAAM (Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile) heat-seeking short-range air-to-air missile will be carried out soon.
ASRAAM already has cleared ground flutter trials on Su-30MKI aircraft and soon it will commence captive flight trials followed by aerial release trials (dummy missile ) leading to the testing of the missile in mid-2023. The second heat-seeking short-range air-to-air missile planned for the fleet will be the Israeli Python-5 which already has been cleared for LCA-Tejas Mk1/Mk1A combat jets.
India continues to expand and diversify its air-to-air missile arsenal over for its Russian fighter jet fleet and plans to integrate long-range Astra Mk2 BVRs and Very long range Astra Mk3 air-to-air missiles in the near future as it tries to move away from Russian-origin air to air missiles that have fallen behind Western technology after the collapse of Soviet-union.
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