Astra Series Air to Air Missiles
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Barak 8 accelerates to Mach 5-7 when the 2nd pulse kicks in.
The reported top (maximum) speed of these missiles (e.g., Mach 5+ for the PL-15) is almost always associated with the first pulse or the burnout of the initial burn phase, for both single and dual pulse missiles, as originally top speed specs was to get the rough idea of the time it would take to reach near target, higher top speed also generally meant high avg. Speeds.Barak 8 accelerates to Mach 5-7 when the 2nd pulse kicks in.
In dual pulse set up, The second pulse and its kinematics are associated with end game performance( peak Mach 5-7 at distance of 5-7 km( near the target) from the target for barak 8, according to the article you posted).
Triple pulse setups will futher complicate this, as 2 of the 3 pulse will be to reach near the target hence higher avg. Speeds can be achieved even if top speed( excluding the 3rd endgame pulse) is not increased.
India is likely to advance discussions on procuring Rafael Sky Sting long-range BVRAAM during PM Modi's visit to Israel
- pitched with an engagement envelope of ~ 250 km- Proposal is likely to follow a phased route: initial off-the-shelf acquisition followed by localised production with Rafael.
- If taken forward, the system will subsequently undergo trials & integration validation before being inducted & operationalised.
- A source said: " has been pitching the missile for some time & it is now being considered for integration on the Tejas Mk1A, with the initial tranche equipped with the Israeli ELM-2052 AESA radar"
- HAL’s delivery delays of Mk1A are understood to be partly due to integration challenges of the radar with the indigenous Astra BVRAAM
- Sky Sting, unveiled around three years ago, is under development & is understood to have reached a degree of technological maturity, though it has not yet been inducted into operational service.
www.newindianexpress.com
- pitched with an engagement envelope of ~ 250 km- Proposal is likely to follow a phased route: initial off-the-shelf acquisition followed by localised production with Rafael.
- If taken forward, the system will subsequently undergo trials & integration validation before being inducted & operationalised.
- A source said: " has been pitching the missile for some time & it is now being considered for integration on the Tejas Mk1A, with the initial tranche equipped with the Israeli ELM-2052 AESA radar"
- HAL’s delivery delays of Mk1A are understood to be partly due to integration challenges of the radar with the indigenous Astra BVRAAM
- Sky Sting, unveiled around three years ago, is under development & is understood to have reached a degree of technological maturity, though it has not yet been inducted into operational service.
India to weigh Israeli ‘Sky Sting’ long-range air-to-air missile during PM Modi visit
NEW DELHI: India is likely to advance discussions on procuring the Israeli-origin “Sky Sting” long-range beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) during
India is likely to advance discussions on procuring Rafael Sky Sting long-range BVRAAM during PM Modi's visit to Israel
- pitched with an engagement envelope of ~ 250 km- Proposal is likely to follow a phased route: initial off-the-shelf acquisition followed by localised production with Rafael.
- If taken forward, the system will subsequently undergo trials & integration validation before being inducted & operationalised.
- A source said: " has been pitching the missile for some time & it is now being considered for integration on the Tejas Mk1A, with the initial tranche equipped with the Israeli ELM-2052 AESA radar"
- HAL’s delivery delays of Mk1A are understood to be partly due to integration challenges of the radar with the indigenous Astra BVRAAM
- Sky Sting, unveiled around three years ago, is under development & is understood to have reached a degree of technological maturity, though it has not yet been inducted into operational service.
India to weigh Israeli ‘Sky Sting’ long-range air-to-air missile during PM Modi visit
NEW DELHI: India is likely to advance discussions on procuring the Israeli-origin “Sky Sting” long-range beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) during
Astra MK 2 , R 37 , Meteor , and Now Sky Sting
Why do we even need additional Meteor and Sky Sting?
Serve zero purpose since Astra series already fulfils the requirements
Serve zero purpose since Astra series already fulfils the requirements
You know what's funny is that you have people vouch for induction of foreign platforms, missile systems, etc. because they are battle proven.
But here the same set of people are vouching for purchase of a missile system that hasn't even completed development, let alone be test fired, certified and battle proven.
Sometimes the irony writes itself
It's overrated term anyways
4 day OP Sindhoor made almost our entire indiginous weapon system portfolio battle proven
Not to mention, warzone is evolving field, which needs continous iterations for emerging needs
Every single digital architecture based product offers certain usp / unique setup or option that is not present in another product.
Do you have same sized fingers in your hand? this is like that, nature did not make our hand that way so it can be used for versatile purpose.
This idea that one size fits every situation is very wrong, it definitely will give problem later during operational need because situations are dynamic. So even a small stock is better than having to look for one at that time.
Btw, there is no reason to believe that Astra is coming with ready for all solution all good from the start, no weapon system is made that way esp with many shared lrus with other international weapon system option (mostly because these are already airworthy qualified therefore vendors/makers are tempted to use the same due to existing supply chain + availability + less obsolation chance). Astra will take time to mature, it has already gone thru that and more future version will follow. This is how tech maturity happens. In our case the progress is slow due to intended purpose. Priority programs have different pace of execution and very much mood centric. Since the entire process is controlled by Govt agencies , this is not changing much.
They don't. Sky sting is closer to astra mk3 and is our interim answer to pl-15 and pl-17. Same for the r-37M. Meteor is Gandiv equivalent.
Sky sting is triple pulse, 250km capable missile, while Astra Mk2 already reaches 240km
Not to mention, Sky Sting is yet to be test fired from a jet
PL17 is another league of very long range missile akin to R37M.
It's not question of Astra Mk2 maturity, since Sky Sting is yet to be tested, so I'm certain it's far more immature.
I'm certain it's another program where we're paying for development and getting bare minimum
Also, during wartime, you also need capability to mass produce the missiles, since they would be drying out fast. US is currently increasing production to 2000 AMRAAM per year as an example, from 1200 per year, which used to be 600 missile per year when Ukraine war started. This is absolutely not possible with sky sting
Also, we can iterate Mk2 on our own
*Intention* is to increase its range from
current 160km.
240km range is max potential value of range increase, not definite target.
And even if achieved,it will still remain 2 pulse missile, can't match the end game oof that 3rd pulse gives at those range.
We can give a 3rd pulse to Astra mk2 too along with range increase, but then its basically a new missile, with comman electronics if same ones used, along will increased development times and testing.
Sky string is already in late stages of development,
&
As of late February 2026, there has been no formal official statement directly from the Indian Air Force (IAF) headquarters confirming the acquisition or induction of the "Sky Sting" missile.
As for meteor, its already in service and manufactured, a mature product.
We don't have any domestic equivalent in service right now or near future, only ~2030 or 2030+ will domestic equivalent will enter service.
Pl17 will give significantly longer effective range than R37m, against aerial support assests like awacs,tankers etc, caveat is tracking and guidance.
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nah its the same range. the r37M is a lot stouter while the p17 is a lot longer to compensate for the range.
Initial flight trials were successfully completed in 2024, and RAFAEL now considers the missile ready for low-risk integration on compatible fighter platforms.
India Eyes RAFAEL’s 250 km “Sky Sting” Missile as Indo-Israeli Defence Alliance Strengthens Amid China-Pakistan Air Threats - Defence Security Asia
Israel’s RAFAEL offers India the 250 km Sky Sting BVRAAM — a 6th-generation hypersonic missile to counter China and Pakistan’s PL-15 and AMRAAM threats.
defencesecurityasia.com
We too will increase Astra series production just as U.S. is doing it ,when situation calls for it.
We don't need to, hypothetically if we buy sky sting, we will not stop working on our domestic equivalent.
In this scenario, Were not replacing domestic equivalent with sky sting, but sharing of initial stock between sky sting and domestic alternative when its ready.
in hightened tensions/wartime if further import is not possible then we will increase production of our domestic alternative( which we would still do even if importing more sky sting is possible) to replace initial stock once its used up.
MK2 is not being abandoned, even if we buy foreign missiles to share initial stock.
Don't go by stated max range on Google search.
Im not going by wikipedia numbes LMAO.Initial flight trials were successfully completed in 2024, and RAFAEL now considers the missile ready for low-risk integration on compatible fighter platforms.
India Eyes RAFAEL’s 250 km “Sky Sting” Missile as Indo-Israeli Defence Alliance Strengthens Amid China-Pakistan Air Threats - Defence Security Asia
Israel’s RAFAEL offers India the 250 km Sky Sting BVRAAM — a 6th-generation hypersonic missile to counter China and Pakistan’s PL-15 and AMRAAM threats.
We too will increase Astra series production just as U.S. is doing it ,when situation calls for it.
We don't need to, hypothetically if we buy sky sting, we will not stop working on our domestic equivalent.
In this scenario, Were not replacing domestic equivalent with sky sting, but sharing of initial stock between sky sting and domestic alternative when its ready.
in hightened tensions/wartime if further import is not possible then we will increase production of our domestic alternative( which we would still do even if importing more sky sting is possible) to replace initial stock once its used up.
MK2 is not being abandoned, even if we buy foreign missiles to share initial stock.
Don't go by stated max range on Google search.
lets look at volume : the volume of a cylinder : l * pi * (r)^2
Looking at the stats : PL17 : length : 6m diameter = 30.5cm or r = 15.25cm
Volume of the PL17 = 139,537.5pi Cm^3
doing the same for the r37M we get : 146,566pi cm^3
they have similar volumes but the Pl17 has a slightly more aerodyanmic profile but the R37M acclerates to much higher max velocities(mach 7-8) vs the pl17(mach 4-5)
Volume huh? Nice.
Now lets add the fact that it takes more energy to Accelerate to higher speed.
Also take onto account, R37m is more thick and Bulky, so more drag( lower fineness ratio).
Due to the "Energy Tax" of high-speed flight. In aerodynamics, drag isn't linear—it's exponential. As you increase speed, the energy cost to go even faster rises according to the square of the velocity.
Flying at Mach 7 creates roughly 2.4 times more peak drag than flying at Mach 4.5.
Avg of 1.8 times more drag over its entire flight profile compared to pl17, due to the way its optimized to fly.
The R-37M has ~55% more frontal area. Even if they were the same shape and speed, the R-37M has to displace 55% more air molecules every meter it travels.
So even more drag.
It has to spend big chunk of its solid rocket motor's energy to attain higher speed and attain,that speed by overcoming the drag.
PL-17 along with being more sleeker also
caps the speed in a "sweet spot" where drag is manageable( Mach 4-5).
R37M, sacrifices significant range in its design and optimization to buy time to target.
PL-17, sacrifices some time to target compared to R37M to buy more range.
Estimates suggest under similar conditions of launch, PL17 can achieve 1.4-1.6 times the range of R37m.
The more BVRs our jets are capable of firing, the tougher it's going for our enemy to devise a counter and chances of scoring hits increase substantially.
Both Russia and Israel are offering local manufacturing of Sky Sting & R-37M. We should take both offers while our domestic Astra series keeps on slowly getting inducted and attains maturity.
On the contrary , when we are building a bvr missile series it very much depends on maturity of a certain level to then progress to the next level because user demand vis a vis threat projection borderline keep getting shifted over time. Astra itself started from a 40-45km range when the development started. Today that boundary has shifted to over 100km.
You can not arbitrarily build any range aspect because you start with a defined range figure then prove your technology over this baseline then move to times 2 or 3 gradually. This is where the maturity depends because the end goal is not flying further but to neutralise the threat effectively. This means maturing the guidance scheme, how the target is acquired, how obc handover the control to the seeker unit to direct the endgame guidance , which algorithm to work for the final few moments. Since I say algo and obc, it means there are computer codes involved stored on a tiny pcb , it also means there will always be coding glitches that need solving throughout its lifetime. Very often there are problems, there is never a precise perfect mathematical coding. This is what tech maturity is besides the hardware. It takes huge time to establish even the baseline 45 km astra, and that whole system would not perform up to expected spec when it is at 110km.
We learned dual pulse rocket motor tech with collab jv, and everyone involved have always said positive about it. It means the collab was successful up to expectation and now the use is in almost another 10-12 other projects, probably more. So the getting bare minimum part is not true, you will not be able to prove your statement with hard facts, proof or even by logical interpretation. Its your assumption without any basis.
The reason defence psus exist under Govt ownership is precisely for that, to mass produce at time of need. This is why only a Govt can afford to keep huge org like defence psu and its employee pool, machinery etc without that much order during peacetime but scale it up at short notice. Your consumption decide your intake and requirement volume. A govt can print its fiscal deficit, it can borrow money, it can save money, it can hold precious metals in reserve. But it can not accurately hedge against time or predict the future 100%. The hedge works upto a certain amount. A bird in hand is better than 2 in bush is how every Govt plan for. It is better to save money for wartime use than make the product because the product has a shelf life and explosives can take down the whole volume in its entirety.
Since we are making bvr missiles for the first time, the more existing or sometimes new products(which are based on stable previous product line) products you can acquire, your experience will mature as user and as developer also. So much like in study the more you read the more you get to know and your knowledge baseline expand which you can use to shape your own thought and opinion, science also work like that sometimes. Everything is highly defined scientific fact which fuels new breakthrough. What if this sky sting turns out good and later finds application in many other future programs ? That is always a plus.