The first flight trial of Brahmos supersonic missile fitted on the Sukhoi-30 MKI frontline fighter jet was successful at test range in Nashik on Saturday. The supersonic missile capable of hitting a target at 290 km is already inducted into the Army and Navy. The ultimate test will be conducted in the next few months with the SU-30 firing the missile at a target while performing manoeuvres in simulated battle conditions.
The maiden demonstration flight, carried out at Hindustan Aeronautics limited(HAl) Nashik, involved the long range Russia- made fighter jet flying with the 2.5 ton missile fitted on to its undercarriage for more than 45 minutes. However, the triad of missiles integration into all the three Services will only be complete when the fighter jet is successfully able to fire air to ground missile in the coming months. The IAF plans to modify 45 SU-30s to carry Brahmos if the firing tests are successful.
Brahmos is a joint venture between India and Russia for the design, development and manufacturing of the supersonic cruise missile. Many countries — including Vietnam — have evinced interest in procuring this missile and the Indian Government is seriously considering the proposal.
Explaining the significance of the successful test flight, Brahmos chief Sudhir Kumar Mishra said the test will go down in the history as first in the world marking combination of supersonic cruise missile with a long range fighter aircraft.
Once successfully integrated in the firing mode in the coming months, the air version of Brahmos will enable the IAF penetrate deep inside the enemy territory to destroy their vital installations from stand-off ranges. Moreover, the integration brings a paradigm shift in the capability of the IAF vis-a-vis its adversaries, officials said here.
The Su-30- Brahmos combination will carry out air combat operations within and beyond visibility range and will provide the IAF with the capability of attacking targets protected by powerful air defence assets.
Integration of Brahmos with the Su-30MKI will render the weapon a multi-platform capability while making the IAF the only air force in the world in prosession of a supersonic cruise missile system.
HAl chief T Suvarna Raju, who was present at the flight test, said “it is a perfect example of Make in India and an engineering marvel in aviation history of India.” He pointed out that this unique program was taken up by HAl as an indigenous challenge at its Nashik Division and the required data was generated without the assistance of Russia for the modification.
With successful integration of BrahMos on Su-30 MKI aircraft, 40 Su-30 MKI aircraft are expected to be modified. The maiden flight will be followed by series of test flights and complete evaluation and certification of BrahMos missle on Su30 MKI aircraft,Raju said.