With the objective of constantly updating the indigenous missile systems, scientists on Thursday successfully conducted a test of the new variant of the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile. The latest test came days after the missile system was selected for induction into its navy by the Phillippines.
The Pioneer had reported about the first ever export order of a sophisticated weapon system on January 15. The government to government deal for three batteries of the Brahmos jointly designed and produced by India and Russia is worth over 375 million dollars. The contract is likely to be inked shortly.
The export will propel the Indian industry into the top league of nations having this capability. Moreover, India is aggressively pursuing the target of exporting weapon systems worth over five billion dollars by 2025 and making it an attractive manufacturing hub for defence systems.
Giving details of the latest test, officials said here the missile with increased indigenous content and improved performance was successfully test-fired from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast of Odisha at 1030 hrs.
The launch was conducted by Brahmos Aerospace in close coordination with the teams of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). In this text-book flight, the missile followed the predicted trajectory meeting all mission objectives.
The flight test is a major milestone in the way forward for BrahMos programme. The highly manouverable missile cruised at supersonic speed for its maximum range and all mission objectives were met.
The missile was equipped with the advanced indigenous technologies and followed a modified optimal trajectory for enhanced efficiency and improved performance. The missile with the modified control system has been fine tuned to achieve an enhanced capability.
This flight test was monitored by all the sensors of the range instrumentation including telemetry, radar and electro-optical tracking systems deployed across the eastern coast and the down range ships.
Teams from the DRDO and Russia participated in the test. BrahMos Aerospace has been continuously upgrading the powerful, highly versatile BrahMos to increase its effectiveness and lethality against sea and land targets. BrahMos is the potent missile weapon system already inducted into the Armed Forces.
India has inducted the land and sea version of the Brahmos into its security architecture. The supersonic cruise missile can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft and land platforms. BrahMos missile flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach or almost three times the speed of sound. The Army and Navy have already inducted the highly versatile missile.
Given the effectiveness of the missile capable of hitting targets at a range of more than 350 kms, operational commanders have deployed the Brahmos at various critical points along the Line of Actual Control(LAC)facing China.
While the Philippines will acquire the Brahamos missile having a range of hitting a target at 290 kms, India has other variants of this missile also having a range of more than 400 kms. Incidentally, India had successfully test-fired a naval variant of the advanced supersonic BrahMos cruise missile from a stealth guided-missile destroyer of the Indian Navy on January 11. The DRDO had said the missile hit the designated target "precisely".
"Advanced sea to sea variant of BrahMos Supersonic Cruise missile was tested from INS Visakhapatnam today. Missile hit the designated target ship precisely," the DRDO had tweeted.
