India Launches Supersonic Cruise Missile BrahMos
India Launches Supersonic Cruise Missile BrahMos
The Indian Army has just test fired an advanced model of the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos as part of the user trial. The successful launch took place on the Pokhran test range in Rajasthan. BrahMos was launched by the mobile autonomous mobile launcher. The launcher was deployed in full configuration with a mobile command post at the ranges. The launch has been successful and the missile hit its target correctly. The Brahmos missile has already been inducted by the Navy and Army.
This missile was developed in collaboration between India and Russia. This supersonic cruise missile was developed by BrahMos Aerospace. This is a joint venture between the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) in India and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroeyenia (NPOM). This missile has the capability to attack targets on land as well as sea. It has been named after the two rivers of India and Russia namely Bramhaputra and Moskva respectively. The BrahMos has flight range of up to 290 kilometres and it can reach a massive speed.
The maximum speed which this powerful missile can reach is Mach 3. This missile was under development during 2013. The air launched version of this missile was developed in the past year. Advanced satellite navigation systems from kh-555 and kh-101 which are Russian long range cruise missiles were added to the BrahMos project. Alongside this, technology from the GPS-GLONASS was also added to the missile. GLONASS is the Russian global positioning system. The Doppler-inertial platforms of BrahMos missiles were equipped with this technology last year.
BrahMos can be installed and launched from ground vehicles, aircrafts, ships and submarines. BrahMos missiles will also be exported to nations that are friendly towards India. Both Indian and Russian armed forces have already benefited from this supersonic cruise missile. These missiles have also been equipped with fire and forget missile weights 3t. These missile weights intercept surface targets at an altitude ranging from 10 to 14,000 metres. In the year 2011, a $ 4 billion order was placed with BrahMos Aerospace for the missiles by the Indian army. The deliveries will be completed by the year 2016. The total value of orders placed by the Indian armed and naval forces totals to $9 billion in 2013.
BrahMos Aerospace was formed by an inter-governmental agreement in February 1998, between Russia and India. The first BrahMos missile was test fired in the year 2001. The location of the launch was Chandipur in Orrisa. The missile has been launched from many warships and land locations since then. Its successful launch is good news for India’s national security and well-being.
In the year 2008, a state owned firm Keltec was absorbed into BrahMos Aerospace. This was done to manufacture and integrate BrahMos components and missile systems. It was necessary to ensure that orders placed by the Indian Army and Navy were met in time. In more good news for India’s citizens and defence personnel, the hypersonic version of this supersonic cruise missile is also being developed. This hypersonic missile will have a speed of Mach 7. This hypersonic missile will be ready for testing in 2017.
BrahMos is essentially derived from the similar technology of Russia’s P800 Oniks/Yakjont supersonic antis-ship cruise missile. The propulsion system of the BrahMos missile is based on the Oniks. The guidance system of this supersonic cruise missile was developed by BrahMos Aerospace. The missile can be configured for aerial, sea and land platforms. A variant of the BrahMos known as BrahMos A is being configured currently for the Sukhoi SU-30MKI aircraft of the IAF. It has additional tail fins for more stability. It also has a smaller booster compared to the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.
BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is powered by a two stage system of propulsion. The acceleration at the initial stage is provided by solid propellant boosters. The supersonic cruise speed is provided by a ramjet system that is powered by liquid fuel. This gives the BrahMos missile the benefit of travelling over longer ranges. It is a major achievement for India to have developed this amazing technology for protecting our country from attacks.
