News India Live, Digital Desk: Nowadays the rules of air battles have changed. Now that time is no more when fighter planes used to fight in front of each other. Today the battle is fought ‘Beyond Visual Range’ (BVR), i.e. miles away from sight. In this game, the one who has a missile with longer range is a greater Alexander. A new player from India is ready to enter this field, whose name is ‘Astra Mark-2’. This is not an ordinary missile, but it is an answer to the pride of China and Pakistan, which they call PL-15 missile.

Why is there an uproar over ‘Astra Mark-2’?

India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), which makes modern weapons for our armies, has developed ‘Astra Mark-2’. Earlier its strike range was fixed at 160 kilometers, but now DRDO has spread its wings further. Now this missile will be able to destroy its enemy at a distance of more than 200 kilometers. This simply means that our Air Force pilots can make their planes disappear from the sky without even entering enemy territory.

The biggest strength of Astra Mark-2 is that it is completely indigenous. This is a great example of ‘Make in India’. With this we will not have to depend on any other country for missiles. The Indian Air Force is planning to purchase about 700 such Astra Mark-II missiles, which will be installed on our most powerful fighter aircraft like Sukhoi-30 MKI and Tejas.

China’s PL-15 missile and Pakistan’s dream

China makes a lot of noise about its PL-15 missile, which is said to have a range of 200 to 300 kilometers. Pakistan also uses a smaller version of the same missile, PL-15E, which has a range of about 145 kilometers. But as they say, there is a difference between words and deeds.

Recently, during a military tension, a Chinese PL-15E missile fired by Pakistan fell on Indian soil without exploding. This incident was no less than a lottery for our scientists. They got a golden opportunity to understand the technology of this missile layer by layer. The investigation revealed that this Chinese missile definitely has some good technology, such as its AESA radar and high speed, but it also has some shortcomings. Now DRDO is incorporating the features of this missile in its ‘Astra’ missile, so that it can be made even more deadly.

Not only in range, but also ahead in technology

The specialty of ‘Astra Mark-2’ is not only its long range. It is equipped with a dual-pulse rocket motor, which gives it amazing speed even in the last moments. It is also equipped with an advanced seeker made in India, which does not give the enemy aircraft a chance to escape under any circumstances.

To put it plainly, with the arrival of ‘Astra Mark-2’, the Indian Air Force will get an edge in the air which it did not have till date. This will not only blow away the air claims of China and Pakistan, but will also take the power of ‘self-reliant India’ to new heights.