Astra Mk1 was our very first missile and went through 3 different design stages. The same won't repeat with Mk2 and SFDR. Mk2 will apparently begin flight testing in 2022 and become available after 3 years.
Anyway the MKI in its current form cannot use a ramjet missile to its full potential. It's unlikely it will even be able to use Derby ER to its full potential. It requires the Irbis or AESA upgrade. And from the time the upgrade program starts to when serial deliveries commence it's going to take at least 6 or 7 years, so we are talking 2027 or 2028. Plenty of time to make the SFDR available by then. Similarly, the Mig-29s also cannot use the missile to its max capabilities. So it's unlikely the IAF will pay a major premium to the Russians for a ramjet missile they cannot use properly when a significantly cheaper dual thrust missile will suit us just fine.
Second problem is networking. The issue with imports is they can only be used on captive airframes. So if we go for Russian imports, then something like CEC is going to be very difficult with our multi-national fleet. We need our missiles to be able to communicate with other aircraft as well, including AWACS and SAMs, all using a common datalink (from Israel), hence the need to Indianise all our weapons.
One more thing, what we know right now is the ramjet version was developed by Vympel using their own funds. So the viability of the project is in question, unless the Russian Aerospace Forces accept it first. It's likely that it's still undergoing development and may only become available with the Su-57 Mk2 after 2024. Also, the Russians are currently working on a near-space fighter jet, which will need scramjet missiles. They might skip the ramjet phase.
