NEW DELHI – India on Wednesday claimed to have set a successfully test-fired the ‘world’s fastest’ supersonic cruise missile from IAF’s Sukhoi 30MKI fighter jet.
The BrahMos missile was fired from an Indian Air Force base over the Bay of Bengal, the Times of India reported.
However, the missile was not launched directly from the aircraft, rather it was dropped from under its fuselage. The missile’s two-stage engine then fired up propelling it towards the target at supersonic speeds.
The BrahMos travels almost three times faster than sound at Mach 2.8. It weighs around 2.4 tonne and has a strike range of 290 km. It also carries a conventional warhead up to 300 kg.
MaidenTest Flight : The World’s fastest Supersonic Cruise Missile #Brahmos created history after it was successfully flight-tested from the #IAF frontline Fighter Aircraft Sukhoi-30MKI against a sea based target in the Bay of Bengal, 22 Nov 17.@DefenceMinIndia @SpokespersonMoD pic.twitter.com/doOsvqznGC
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) November 22, 2017
The fighter jet which has a cruising range of 3,200 km along with the supersonic cruise missile is said to a ‘deadly combination’.
The BrahMos operates on ‘Fire and Forget Principle’, adopting varieties of flights on its way to the target. Its cursing altitude could be up to 15 km and terminal altitude is as low as 10 meters.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/world/delhi-ditches-500m-israeli-missile-deal-for-make-in-india-initiative/
Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman congratulated the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as well as BrahMos for the successful test.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated the team behind the missile test.
Delighted on the successful maiden test firing of Brahmos ALCM from Su-30MKI. Congratulations to all those associated with this remarkable feat. @DRDO_India https://t.co/bRJccE795U
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 22, 2017
Reports suggest the Indian armed forces now have a multi-platform, multi-mission cruise missile that can be launched from land, sea and air. This completes the tactical cruise missile triad for India which is a world record.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/pakistan/india-unlikely-to-defend-itself-from-pakistani-nukes-despite-huge-bugdets/
The land and warship versions have already been inducted by the armed forces. It is also first supersonic cruise missile known to be in service.
BrahMos is a joint venture between DRDO of India and NPOM of Russia.
