15-05-2021 | 14:24 PM
Python-5 Air to Air Missile
• Recently, India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas has added the capability of firing Israeli-origin Python-5 air-to-air missiles (AAM) after concluding successful tests.
• Trials were also aimed to validate the enhanced capability of the already integrated Derby Beyond Visual Range (BVR) AAM on Tejas.
About Python 5:
• It is a Python missile of the fifth century.
• Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, an Israeli arms maker, developed the air-to-air missile.
• The Israeli government started producing missiles under the codename "Shafir." Later, when it began selling missiles, it used a western name such as "Python" or "Derby."
• The Python-5 is now Israel's most capable air-to-air missile in its arsenal.
• It is out of sight for warheads. Beyond Visual Range, missiles are those that can engage at distances greater than 37 kilometers.
Note: Python 5 is an advanced version of Derby. It is also a Beyond Visual Range Missile. An Active Radar Homing Missile is a missile that contains a radar transceiver to find and track the target autonomously.
