• The Indian Air Force has given clearance to public sector firm Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for the production of 200 Astra Mark 1 air-to-air missiles.

• The Astra Mark 1 missiles have been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation with BDL as its production agency. 

• The approval for the over Rs 2,900 crore project was granted in 2022-23 by the Defence Acquisition Council and the production clearance has been given for that order now after completion of all tests and developments.

• The Astra missiles will be integrated on both the Russian-origin Su-30 as well as the indigenous LCA Tejas fighter aircraft after production.

• Astra is a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) class of air-to-air missile system designed to be mounted on fighter aircraft. The missile is designed to engage and destroy highly manoeuvring supersonic aircraft. It has a range of 80-110 km reaching Mach 4.5 speed. The missile has all weather day and night capability. The missile is being developed in multiple variants to meet specific requirements. 

• Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) was established in 1970. It is a government of India Enterprise under the Ministry of Defence and a manufacturer of surface-to-air missiles, air-to-air missiles, Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs), torpedoes, and allied defence equipment. Headquarters of the company is located at Hyderabad. It has three manufacturing units located at Kanchanbagh, Hyderabad, Bhanur in Sangareddy district of Telangana and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

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