Army, IAF wants BrahMos price reduced

According to sources in the armed forces, the cost of each BrahMos missile is more than Rs 30 crore, which is considered to be very high, and is preventing the forces from ordering for more of those missiles

Even as China is claiming to develop a "cheaper and better" version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, the Indian Army and the Air Force want the India-Russian missile joint venture company to cut down the price of the weapon system drastically to make it more affordable for both internal and external markets.

According to sources in the armed forces, the cost of each BrahMos missile is more than Rs 30 crore, which is considered to be very high, and is preventing the forces from ordering for more of those missiles.

"Over the years, the cost of the BrahMos missile has gone up significantly taking into account the inflation every year. The private limited company (BrahMos Aerospace) should look at the ways of reducing the price of the missile system significantly if it has to create a bigger market for itself both internally and externally," the sources said.

Sources said the forces are finding it difficult to invest in the further development of the missile system in view of its high cost.

In the meanwhile, a Chinese government firm claimed on Wednesday that it had developed a new supersonic missile which is said to be better than the similar BrahMos, developed by India and Russia. The missile named HD-1 has been developed by the Guangdong Hongda Blasting Company of South China and it is being claimed that the missile would be supplied to China's close military ally Pakistan.

"The BrahMos missile is a more expensive, less useful supersonic cruise missile developed by India and Russia,” Chinese officials were quoted as saying by news agencies.

“The HD-1’s advanced solid fuel ramjet needs less fuel than its competitors, rendering the lighter missile able to fly faster and farther,” Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, said.

According to defence experts, the BrahMos is powered by liquid fuel ramjet engine developed by the Russian joint venture partner and it is costlier to operate it.

The BrahMos with a 290 Km-plus striking range can hit its targets accurately and is considered to be a game-changer in warfare in all terrains including land, sea and air by the three services. 

IDN thanks Mr. Ait K Dubey of Asianet News for this piece