Astra Mk2 vs Brahmos-NG cruise missile: Range, deep strike capabilities and speed; Which is more dangerous

BrahMos NG vs Astra Mark 2 missile: In a recent development on India’s air strike capabilities, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) announced that is looking to build a next-generation BrahMos missile, which will be a lighter, smaller version of the current version. As per the DRDO Chief, the BrahMos-NG (Next Generation) will be able to fit into any platform, unlike the current missile, which can only be used with the Sukhoi aircraft. However, in this article, we will compare the BrahMos-NG (Next Generation) with the new Astra Mk2 missile which is also in news.

How is BrahMos-NG different from BrahMos?

“We are looking at BrahMos-NG, which is a smaller version of BrahMos, which can then be fitted on all our other platforms. Today, BrahMos can only be fitted on the Sukhoi platform, but if we can make it smaller, we can fit it on all our platforms. We are planning to start it soon,” the DRDO Chief said on the BrahMos-NG.

Why Astra Mark 2 missile is dangerous?

The Astra Mark 2 gives the Indian Air Force an edge over the adversaries in air-to-air combat and can also be offered as an export product to friendly foreign countries operating the Russian origin Sukhoi, they said.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation has been working towards developing the Astra Mark-1 and Astra Mark 2, along with a longer version, the Astra Mark-3, which would give it a capability similar to the Meteor missiles that have come to India along with the Rafale fighter jets.

The Pakistanis may have long-range Chinese PL-15 air-to-air missiles but there is no clarity about the claims made by them about its capabilities.

BrahMos NG vs Astra Mark 2 missile: Which is more dangerous?

The Astra Mk2 is a 150–180 km range, Mach 4.5 speed air-to-air missile for long-range aerial kills, while the BrahMos NG is a 300 km range, Mach 3.5 speed cruise missile for deep strikes on land and sea targets. Astra ensures air dominance; BrahMos NG delivers heavy stand-off precision strikes.

(With inputs from agencies)

News