The BrahMos missile has a 99.99 per cent strike accuracy rate

The BrahMos missile was successfully test-fired on Monday, May 21, to check a few new features which were part of its 'life extension' program. The successful maiden test firing of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from Su-30MKI was carried out on November 22, 2017.

With the November testing, the armed forces became capable of launching the BrahMos missile, which has a strike range of around 290 km and is described as the world's fastest supersonic cruise missile, from land, sea and air, completing the tactical cruise missile triad for the country.

The last land-based missile test was successfully conducted from ITR itself on March 11, 2017.

Main purpose: To check 'life extension technologies'

The main reason for Monday's missile test was to validate its "life extension" technologies developed for the first time in India by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and team BrahMos, said an official of the ITR.

More about Monday's BrahMos missile test

This was conducted from a Static Inclined Launcher at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur near Balasore, Odisha to check the new features added to the missile as part of service life extension program

BrahMos flew as per its calculated trajectory and all its features worked perfectly

Defence Minister congratulates DRDO and BrahMos teams

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman congratulated team DRDO and BrahMos for the successful test firing, and said that this would help the country save a lot of the money used for missile replacements.

This launch will benefit the Armed Forces economically as it can maintain its inventory for a longer duration, said the DG, CEO and MD of BrahMos Dr Sudhir Mishra while congratulating the DRDO team.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also congratulated the team of scientists.

India's Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles are shown during the full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day parade in New Delhi January 23, 2008. (Photo: Reuters)

10 things about the world's fastest supersonic cruise missile BrahMos:

1. The missile has two stages -- first is solid and the second one is a ramjet liquid propellant.

2. It operates on 'fire and forget principal' and is capable of being launched from land, sea, underwater, and air against sea and land targets.

3. It is capable of carrying warhead of 300 kilogram (both conventional as well as nuclear) and has a top supersonic speed of Mach 2.8 to 3 (roughly three times speed of sound).

4. The missile is highly versatile and its unmatched speed, precision and power makes it the ultimate modern weapon. Developers say that the missile has a strike accuracy rate of 99.99 per cent.

5. BrahMos follows a variety of trajectories like high, high-low, low, surface-skim etc. unlike ballistic missiles which are powered for half the journey times and follow an ellipsoidal trajectory. Moreover, because its trajectory cannot be predicted it is difficult to defend against.

6. Because BrahMos is powered till the time it hits the target, it develops an enormous kinetic energy which increases its destructive capacity.

7. While India already extended the range of the three-tonne missile from its earlier 290 km to 400 km and successfully test-fired the variant in March 2017, the range can be further increased to 800 km after India's induction into the Missile Technology Control Regime in June 2016.

8. BrahMos has been introduced both in the Army and Navy. The Air Force version saw a successful trial as per DRDO scientists.

9. With INS Rajput, the first version of BrahMos missile system was inducted into the Navy in 2005. It is now fully operational with two regiments of the Army.

10. BrahMos ALCM, weighing 2.5 tonnes, is the heaviest weapon to be deployed on India's Su-30 fighter aircraft modified by HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) to carry weapons.

Where and how is the BrahMos missile assembled?

  • The missiles are developed and manufactured by BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited as part of a joint venture between the India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia's Reutov-based rocket and missile developers NPO Mashinostroyeniya (NPOM)
  • In March 2016, Former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said as per a March 2016 report that 65 per cent of the missile components were imported
  • The Russia-made components include the booster, the ramjet engine, target seeker, homing device and the canister that stows the missile
  • The BrahMos headquarters in New Delhi consists of the design centre, simulation and interface development department, application software development, and aerospace knowledge centre (also at Hyderabad). The last is also located in Hyderabad
  • The components and subsystems required to create the missile come from a Thiruvananthapuram facility in India and from Russia to the BrahMos Integration Complex of BrahMos Aerospace. Here, the BrahMos missile is assembled.