BRAHMOS CRUISE MISSILE (INDIA-RUSSIA JOINT VENTURE)

BRAHMOS SUPERSONIC CRUISE MISSILE

Brahmos is a supersonic cruise missile being developed by Brahmos Aerospace, a joint venture between Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India and NPO Mashinostroeyenia (NPOM) of Russia. The missile can be launched against ships and land-based targets. The missile is named after two rivers, the Brahmaputra in India and the Moskva in Russia. Brahmos has a flight range of up to 290km and can reach a maximum speed of Mach 3. The air launched version of the missile is under development as of 2013."Brahmos has a flight range of up to 290km and can reach a maximum speed of Mach 3."Advanced satellite navigation systems from Russia's Kh-555 and Kh-101 strategic long-range cruise missiles, and GPS-GLONASS technology were added to the existing doppler-inertial platforms of Brahmos missiles in 2013.The missile can be installed on ships, submarines, aircraft and ground vehicles. Brahmos missiles are inducted in to the armed forces of India and Russia and can also be exported to friendly nations.The 'Fire and Forget' type missile weights 3t and intercepts surface targets at an altitude of 10m up to 14,000m. In February 2011, the Indian Army placed a $4bn order with Brahmos Aerospace for Brahmos missiles. Deliveries are expected to conclude by 2016. The total value of orders placed by the Indian Navy and

Indian Air Force for Brahmos missiles was approximately $9bn as of March 2013.

Brahmos cruise missile development :-

In February 1998, India and Russia signed an inter-governmental agreement to establish Brahmos Aerospace for producing the Brahmos missiles. The first BrahMos missile was test fired from the integrated test range at Chandipur in Orissa Coast in June 2001. Since then, the missile has been successfully tested from a variety of platforms, including land-based platforms and warships.In 2008, Brahmos Aerospace acquired Indian state-owned firm Keltec to manufacture and integrate Brahmos components and missile systems. This was necessary to meet the increased orders received from the Indian Army and Navy.A hypersonic version of the Brahmos, with a speed of Mach 7, is also under development. It is expected to be ready for testing by 2017.

Brahmos design and features :-

Brahmos is derived from the Russian made P-800 Oniks / Yakhont supersonic anti-ship cruise missile.The Brahmos propulsion is based on the Oniks, while the guidance system was developed by Brahmos Aerospace.