BrahMos surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile, featuring indigenous booster and airframe section along with several indigenous sub-systems, was successfully flight-tested on Wednesday by the Defence Research and Development Organsiation (DRDO).
And in Kolkata, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) inducted the last of five Fast Patrol Vessels (FPV), ICGS Kanaklata Barua, indigenously built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE).
“It is one more major step in enhancing the indigenous content. The BrahMos Land-Attack Cruise Missile (LACM) was cruising at a top speed of Mach 2.8,” the DRDO said in a statement.
The BrahMos was fired at 1030 hours from the Integrated test Range (ITR), Balasore, Odisha. This successful launch has paved the way for the serial production of the indigenous booster and other indigenous components of the powerful BrahMos weapon system, it stated.
ICGS Kanaklata Barua is a replacement of a similar named vessel, which was in commission from 1997 to 2018. The 49m ship displaces about 310 tonnes and is propelled by three MTU 4000 Series engines designed to attain a maximum speed of 35 knots, the ICG said in a statement. The ship is designed to carry one Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) high speed boats and one Gemini boat for swift boarding and search and rescue operations.
With this commissioning, the ICG has 151 ships and boats and 62 aircraft. Further, 40 ships are at various stages of construction at different Indian shipyards and 16 Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) are under production at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).