The Indian Navy on Friday successfully test-fired the land attack version of Brahmos supersonic cruise missile from a stealth frigate in the Bay of Bengal. With this prowess, the Navy has joined a select group of navies like the US, UK, Russia and China having the capability of destroying a target at land even if it is small. Brahmos missile is capable of hitting a target at a range of 290 km and is a joint venture of India and Russia.
Having already inducted the anti-ship variant of this missile into all major warships, the Navy will now install the land attack versions on all the frigates and destroyers. The Army already has the land attack version of the Brahmos missile while the IAF is conducting tests for installing the missile on to the frontline fighter jet SU-30.
Giving details of the latest test, officials said here the missile was fired from INS Teg, a guided missile frigate in the Bay of Bengal and the land attack version met with all the required parameters.
Explaining the significance of this missile, they said land attack variant provides the warships the capability to precisely neutralise selected targets deep inland, far away from coast, from stand-off ranges at sea.
They also said majority of the frontline ships of Indian Navy, like the Kolkata, Ranvir and Teg classes of ships, are capable of firing the land attack supersonic missile. In the ongoing modernisation progamme, the Navy last month successfully test-fired an anti-ship missile for the first time from an indigenously built Kalvari class submarine, enhancing its “sub-surface” warfare prowess.
The missile was fired from the submarine, the first of India’s six Scorpene-class submarines which are being built under the Project 75. All the six diesel-electric attack submarines will be equipped with the anti-ship missile, which has a proven record in combat. These missiles will provide the vessels the ability to neutralise surface threats at extended ranges.