India Friday successfully test-fired its indigenously developed Astra 'beyond visual range' (BVR) air-to-air interceptor missile from a defence base in Odisha, officials said.

The missile was tested from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, about 230 km from Bhubaneshwar.

"The mission was successful. Today the missile was tested from land," ITR director M V K V Prasad said.

He said it was a development trial of the missile and the target was an unmanned aerial vehicle which was flown from the same base few minutes before the launch of the missile.

The sophisticated missile was test-fired from a launcher in launch pad-2 of the ITR at about 1.25 pm targeting a flying object being supported by a pilotless target air-craft 'Lakshya'.

The single stage, solid fuelled Astra' missile is more advanced in its category than the contemporary BVR missiles and is capable of engaging and destroying highly manoeuvrable supersonic aerial targets.

Astra is envisaged to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft at supersonic speeds in the head-on mode at a range of 80 km and in tail-chase mode at 20 km.

The 3.8-metre long missile, with a diameter of 178 mm and an overall launch weight of 160 kg, can carry a warhead containing conventional explosives weighing 15 kg. It can be fitted to any fighter aircraft.

It is intended to be integrated with Sukhoi-30 MKI, MiG-29, Mirage-2000, Jaguar and the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft of the Indian Air Force.

Describing Astra as a futuristic missile, Defence Research & Development Organisation scientists said the weapon could intercept targets at supersonic speed.

"Before being made fully operational, the complex missile system will undergo some more trials, though tests of its navigation, control, air frame, propulsion and other sub-system have been validated," officials said.

DRDO scientists are working to ensure that Astra performs effectively at different altitudes - one at an altitude of 15 km with 90 to 110 km range, another at an altitude up to 30,000 ft with a range of 44 km and a third at sea level with a range of 21 km.

The Astra test comes a day after the Indian armed forces successfully test-fired medium range indigenously developed Prithvi-II nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile from the same test range.

Both the Astra and Prithvi missiles have been flight-tested a number of times from the same test range in the past.