The BrahMos cruise missile jointly developed by Russia and India will receive upgrades and its modified versions with get tested for extended range by end 2020. The news was reported by TASS citing Tactical Missiles Corporation (TMC) JSC CEO Boris Obnosov.
Speaking at the on-going Army-2020 international army forum in Russia, he said, “Tests of BrahMos modifications with increased range planned for this year.”
Giving an edge as a tactical superiority weapon, the BrahMos missile is developed as a versatile platform to be operated as an Anti-Ship, Surface-to-Surface, Land Attack, or as an Air-Launched Cruise Missile.
The air-launched variant, called the BrahMos-A, has been integrated to the airframes of Indian Air Force’s Su-30MKI aircraft, giving an important tactical edge to the Indian forces in the battlefield.
“Quite recently, on June 10, the air-based supersonic cruise missile obtained its first permission for use, provided by India’s CEMILAC certification agency. All specifications for the Indian Air Force have been confirmed. The BrahMos has become the first Indian aviation missile to obtain this permission,” the TMC CEO said.
The missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, and increased 500-km versions have recently been tested in 2019.
“The BrahMos’s launch range to the target is 300 km, while Su-30MKI jet fighter’s range with air refueling is over 3,000 km – together, this provided [Indian] Air Force with a huge advantage in their actions in the Indian Ocean zone,” Obnosov noted.
Recently, the joint venture company BrahMos Aerospace has been given clearance by both the partner nations to export the missile to friendly countries. Speaking highly of the joint venture, Obnosov added, “This rapidly developing joint venture is one of the best examples of military-technical cooperation.”
