BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully test-fired from a naval warship on Thursday. The supersonic missile, with a strike-range of over 290 km, was test-fired from the Navy’s stealth destroyer INS Kochi, hitting a decommissioned target ship in the Arabian Sea.

The second ship of Project 15-A “Kolkata-class” guided missile destroyer test-fired the advanced missile during a naval drill in the west coast.

The world’s fastest cruise missile, after performing  extremely complex manoeuvres, successfully hit decommissioned target ship with high precision, defence officials said.

 “After two successful test trials from INS Kolkata in June 2014 and February 2015 and one successful test firing from INS Kochi in November 2015, today’s test firing from INS Kochi has re-validated the ship’s precise strike capability. Brahmos as the prime strike weapon will ensure the warship’s invincibility by engaging naval surface targets at long ranges, thus making the destroyer another lethal platform of Indian Navy” DRDO sources said.

The Navy commissioned INS Kochi on 30 Sept 2015. The 7,500-ton indigenously designed and constructed warship incorporates new design concepts for improved survivability, stealth, sea-keeping and manoeuvrability.

The warship has the enhanced capability of carrying a total of 16 BRAHMOS missiles in two 8-cell vertical launch systems, besides other sophisticated weapons and sensors.

BRAHMOS missile having supersonic speed of Mach 2.8, a very low-cruising altitude of 10 metres at terminal phase and pin-point accuracy, has made the warship one of the deadliest in the Indian Navy fleet, the officials said. The BRAHMOS missile has been jointly developed by India and Russia. It has been in service with the Indian Navy since 2005.