Updated: December 1, 2020 10:04:30 pm
The BrahMos versions being tested have an extended range of around 400 kilometers, compared to their initial range of 290 kilometers, with more higher-range versions currently in development. (Courtesy: Indian Navy)
The naval version of the BrahMos missile was successfully tested Tuesday morning from the Indian Navy’s Rajput-class destroyer INS Ranvijay, hitting a decommissioned target ship in the Bay of Bengal, as part of a series of the supersonic cruise missile.
On November 24, the Indian Army had successfully launched BrahMos from the Car Nicobar Islands in a “top attack” configuration that hit a target in the Bay of Bengal. The launch was the first in a series of launches of the various versions of the missile over the next several days at an exhibition by India’s triad of tactical cruise missiles. The November 24 test was followed by two tests the next day, one by the Army and one by the IAF.
Indian Navy tweeted from its official name Tuesday, “Indian Navy hones its combat readiness. Brahmos AShM (anti-ship missile) launched by INS Ranvijay hits the target ship at maximum range with pinpoint precision in the Bay of Bengal. “The Defense Ministry said in an official statement that the test was carried out at 9 a.m. and that “the missile performed very complex maneuvers and hit the target.”
Explained | The BrahMos missile and the importance of the military’s ongoing series of tests
INS Ranvijay is a Rajput class destroyer warship of the Indian Navy. This class of destroyer warship of Russian origin is built to launch missiles for operations against various surface, air and submarine targets. The first of the naval versions of BrahMos was fired for the first time from this class of ships.
In September and October the Army, Navy and IAF versions of BrahMos were also tested. On September 30, the BrahMos supersonic surface-to-surface land attack cruise missile (LACM) with indigenous booster and fuselage section along with many other ‘Made in India’ subsystems was flight tested from the Integrated Test Range.
On October 17, the naval version of BrahMos was successfully tested from the stealth destroyer INS Chennai of the Indian Navy, which hit a target in the Arabian Sea. On October 30, it was fired on from a Sukhoi plane taking off from a fighter jet base in Punjab and the missile hit a target in the Bay of Bengal.
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A combination of the names of the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers, BrahMos missiles are designed, developed and produced by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture created by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Mashinostroyenia of Russia. The first test launch of the initial BrahMos version took place in 2001. Since then, several types of BrahMos missiles have already been developed and successfully tested, including those that can be fired from land, warships, submarines, and Sukhoi fighters. -30.
BrahMos versions currently being tested have an extended range of 400 kilometers, compared to their initial range of 290 kilometers with more higher-range versions currently in development.
The Indian Navy began incorporating BrahMos into its front-line warships starting in 2005 and has the ability to hit sea-based targets beyond its radar horizon. The naval version has been tested successfully over and over again in sea-to-sea and sea-to-land modes.
The ship’s BrahMos can be launched as a single unit or in a salvo of up to eight in numbers separated by 2.5 second intervals. These salvoes can hit and destroy a group of frigates that have modern missile defense systems. BrahMos as a “primary strike weapon” for ships significantly increases their ability to strike naval surface targets at great distances.
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