The extended range version of the missile was being tested which is capable of hitting targets up to 450 kilometres

In a rare instance, the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile failed during a test firing being carried out off the coast of Odisha on Monday and fell shortly after take-off.

The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile failed to take off during a test-firing, which was conducted off the Odisha coast on Monday. The missile fell soon after it took off, ANI reported.

The missile has the capability to strike targets up to 450 km. ANI quoted sources as saying that the missile fell off “very shortly after the launch”. Sources also said that prima facie the missile failed to take off due to glitches with the propulsion system. The exact reasons for the failure would, however, be ascertained only after examination by scientists from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and BrahMos aerospace corporation.

BrahMos has been a very reliable missile and has failed very rarely during tests.

BrahMos cruise missiles were earlier used to hit targets below 300 km. But they are now used for hitting targets at longer ranges with supersonic speeds. A host of other versions of the missile were earlier developed by BrahMos Aerospace as part of joint ventures between the DRDO and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya.

The BrahMos missile has been named after two rivers — the Brahmaputra in India and the Moskva in Russia.