India on Tuesday successfully test-fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Baleswar district, about 230 km from here.
The missile, a land version of BrahMos, has a target range of 290 km and can carry a conventional warhead weighing up to 300 kg. It was done with a total indigenous airframe, said MVKV Prasad, Director of the Integrated Test Range.The missile, developed by the Indo-Russian joint venture the BrahMos Aerospace, has a top speed of Mach 2.8, which is about three times faster than the US subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile. This makes BrahMos one of the fastest cruise missiles in the world.
The missile can be launched from submarines, ships and aircrafts. Sea and ground launched versions of the missile have been successfully tested and put into service with the Army and the Navy, sources informed.