India on 11 July successfully carried out two flight tests of the indigenously developed Astra beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, the Defence Research and Development Organisation and the Indian Air Force said in a joint statement. Both missiles, fitted with a domestically designed radio-frequency seeker, were fired from a Su-30 MKI over the Bay of Bengal off the coast of Odisha and struck high-speed unmanned aerial targets at different ranges and aspects. Range-tracking instruments at the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur confirmed pinpoint accuracy, according to the defence ministry. Astra is designed to engage targets more than 100 kilometres away and forms part of New Delhi’s drive to reduce reliance on imported weapons systems. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called the test “a major milestone in critical defence technology,” while DRDO Chairman Samir V. Kamat credited more than 50 public and private firms, including Hindustan Aeronautics, for contributing to the programme.