A top defence scientist on Wednesday said the Indian air-to-air missile "Astra", with a maximum striking range of 80 km, is likely to be ready for operation by 2011, local TV channel Zeenews's website reported Thursday.
"In the first stage, the missile will have a range of 45 km while in second stage the striking range will be 80 km and the prototype trials will be conducted within 30 months," Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister M. Natarajan said.
Claiming that India would become the sixth country in the world to have such lethal deterrent, he said the challenge before Defence Research and Development (DRDO) scientists was to develop small size missile which were guiding tools to strike at specified targets in the air.
"This integrated guided missile can be allowed to change its target in the air even after being shot off," he said.
Natarajan said the indigenously built light combat aircraft "Tejas" would be inducted into the Indian armed forces by 2012 to end the era of Mig-21.
He said "Tejas" was equivalent to the U.S. made F-16 combat aircraft, but of lighter weight.
Source: Xinhua
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