The DRDO Gandiva missile can be deployed on the IAF’s Sukhoi Su-30MKI jets and the Indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas.
DRDO Gandiva missile: In a significant development for Indian Airforce and a matter of bad news for China and Pakistan, India’s latest and most advanced air-to-air missile, the Astra MK-III, has now been officially renamed Gandiva, after the legendary bow of Arjuna from the Mahabharata. Here are all the details you need to know about the Gandiva missile by DRDO.
Being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Gandiva missile has the ability to strike enemy aerial targets from a range of 340 kilometers when the target is an altitude of 20 kilometers and 190 kilometers when the target is at a lower altitude of 8 kilometers. The updated version of the Astra MK-III missile can reportedly fly four times faster than the speed of sound. Taking the Indian defence to another level, it can challenge China’s PL-15 and Pakistan’s AIM-120 missiles.
Media reports also say that the missile will be deployed on the IAF’s Sukhoi Su-30MKI jets and the Indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas.
DRDO to lead project on India’s 5th-generation stealth fighter jet
In a major push towards Atmanirbharta (self-reliance), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the Execution Model for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme on Tuesday. The AMCA clearance marks a critical step towards realising India’s goal of joining an elite club of nations in designing and producing its own fleet of next-generation combat aircraft.
The project will be helmed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), said the Defence Ministry in a press release.
“In a significant push towards enhancing India’s indigenous defence capabilities and fostering a robust domestic aerospace industrial ecosystem, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has approved the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) Programme Execution Model. The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) is set to execute the programme through Industry partnership,” said the Ministry in a statement.
(With inputs from agencies)
