NewDelhi: India has successfully tested a BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the guided-missile destroyer INS Delhi. The test of the anti-ship variant of the missile was conducted using an upgraded modular launcher onboard the INS Delhi.
“Successful maiden BrahMos firing by INS Delhi from an upgraded modular launcher once again demonstrated long-range strike capability of BrahMos along with validation of integrated Network Centric Operations from frontline platforms,” the Indian Navy tweeted along with a video of the test fire.
On Wednesday, officials of BrahMos told news agency ANI that the missile (without a warhead), which was fired on Tuesday with a speed of around 3,000 kmph, created a hole in the abandoned ship.
“A BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was test-fired by the Indian Navy warship INS Delhi on April 19. The missile without a warhead created a hole in the abandoned ship. The missile travels at speeds around 3,000 kmph and is difficult to intercept by air defence systems,” the officials said.
On Tuesday, in demonstrating its operational preparedness, the Indian Air Force (IAF) also successfully tested a BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a Sukhoi fighter jet on the Eastern seaboard on the same ship.
The “live firing” of the missile was carried out in close coordination with the Indian Navy, the IAF said.
The missile hit the target with accuracy and precision, officials said. The ship sank after the missile with warhead hit it directly.
“Today on the Eastern seaboard, #IAF undertook live firing of #BrahMos missile from a Su30 MkI aircraft. The missile achieved a direct hit on the target, a decommissioned #IndianNavy ship. The mission was undertaken in close coordination with @indiannavy,” the IAF said in a tweet.
In 2016, the government had decided to integrate the air-launched variant of the Brahmos into over 40 Sukhoi fighter jets. The project was conceived to enhance the IAF’s capability to strike from large stand-off ranges on any target on sea or land.
On March 5, the Indian Navy successfully tested an advanced version of the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile from a stealth destroyer in the Indian Ocean.
The missile was fired from the stealth destroyer INS Chennai.
BrahMos Aerospace, an India-Russian joint venture, produces supersonic cruise missiles that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms. BrahMos missile flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach or almost three times the speed of sound.
The range of the advanced version of the missile is learnt to have been extended to around 350 km from the original 290 km.
Bureau Report
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