China's Missile decoded; DRDO to add features in Astra Mark-2
New Delhi, Oct. 18 -- The Defence Research and Development Organisation has decided to incorporate advanced features from the Chinese PL-15 air-to-air missile into its indigenous Astra Mark-2 programme, following a detailed technical analysis of an unexploded missile fired by a Pakistani jet during Operation Sindoor, people aware of the matter said.
The missile was recovered fully intact in a field near Hoshiarpur, Punjab, on May 9, representing a rare intelligence opportunity for Indian defence scientists.
The export variant of China's advanced beyond-visual-range missile, with a range of 145km, was found unexploded due to the weapon's lack of a self-destruct mechanism, unlike all Indian air-to-air missiles, according to people aware of the matter who asked not to be named.
The recovery occurred during Operation Sindoor, India's military response launched on May 7 to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. The missile, believed to have been fired from a Pakistan Air Force JF-17 or J-10C fighter, failed to engage its target and fell approximately 100 km inside Indian territory. P8...
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