The BrahMos has demonstrated multiple abilities, such as land-attack, anti-ship, and capability of being launched from different platforms. (Representational Image/Reuters)
Despite heavy downpour across Odisha, India on Monday successfully test-fired the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile BrahMos from a military base at Balasore district. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted: BRAHMOS, the supersonic cruise missile was successfully tested from Integrated Test Range at Balasore, Odisha… The test was under extreme weather conditions with sea-state 7 (waves as high as 9 m). Her tweet added that “This successful @DRDO_India trial validates the extension and reinforces the all-weather capabilities of the BRAHMOS missile”.
The missile was tested as part of the service life extension program for the Indian Army. This successful @DRDO_India trial validates the extension and reinforces the all-weather capabilities of the BRAHMOS missile.
2/2@nsitharaman @adgpi— Raksha Mantri (@DefenceMinIndia) July 16, 2018
A press release from the Ministry of Defence said the missile was fired at 10:17 am, from a Mobile Autonomous Launcher. “The precision strike missile followed the designated trajectory and the key components functioned perfectly”, the release said, adding that the event was witnessed by senior army officials and scientists with the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
The word BrahMos is a portmanteau derived from the names of two rivers- Brahmaputra in India and Moskva in Russia. The missile is a joint venture between the Defence Ministry’s research arm DRDO and Moscow-based rocket design bureau NPO Mashinostroyeniya (NPOM). The BrahMos has demonstrated multiple abilities, such as land-attack, anti-ship, and capability of being launched from different platforms. DRDO and the Indian Army last test fired a supersonic BrahMos cruise missile on May 24.