Fresh updates have been dropped about India’s plans to enhance its aerial battle capabilities by building the Astra Mk3, a.k.a. 'Gandiva’, next-generation air-to-air missile. The ambitious 'Make In India' indigenous missile development project is expected to receive production clearance by 2028 so that it will be made available to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in the first half of the 2030s, a report said.
Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) will be reportedly in charge of mass production of the Gandivas once they complete trials and receive production clearance in 2028.
Astra Mk3’s capabilities and range
'Gandiva' is a Beyond-Visual-Range (BVR) missile being designed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). BVR missiles are guided air-to-air missiles designed to hit targets tens, or even hundreds, of kilometres away. The pilot uses the aircraft's radar and sensor data to track and lock onto the target that is way beyond their visual range.
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The 220-kilogram weighing and 4-metre long missiles are said to have all-weather day and night capability and are powered by mid-course inertial guidance with terminal active radar homing, ensuring extreme accuracy against manoeuvring targets.
Gandiva’s highlight is its capability to strike targets that are up to 350 kilometres away. Not many missiles in its league boast such a lethal range in the world. The key to the Astra Mk3’s remarkable range is its advanced propulsion system, a Solid-Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR). They are being equipped with air-breathing Solid-Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) engines. The capability to use atmospheric oxygen for combustion means its dependence on heavy oxidizers is reduced. This means the Astra Mk3s get a much greater range and sustained high speed.
Next-gen lethality
DRDO wants these supersonic missiles to make IAF pilots capable of taking out enemy AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control Systems) and mid-air refuelling tankers while at a safe distance from counter-attacks, defence.in said in a report. Astra Mk3 will be equipped with a state-of-the-art indigenous Gallium Nitride (GaN)-based AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) seeker, the report added.
AESA is expected to make the Gandivas highly resistant to electronic jamming apart from allowing the IAF to turn away quickly after launch—the capability known as "lock-on-after-launch" (LOAL).
With the Astra Mk3 in its arsenal, India’s dream to achieve self-reliance in defence will be reaching a new level.
