Land-attack BrahMos missile achieves precision hit during test on Andaman and Nicobar Islands

BHUBANESWAR: The Indian Army on Tuesday successfully test-fired the land attack version of supersonic cruise missile BrahMos from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands hitting the target with pin-point accuracy.

Defence sources said the missile was fired from a mobile autonomous launcher deployed in full configuration at about 10 am against a target located in another island.

All telemetry and tracking stations including naval ships near the terminal point have confirmed the success trial. The missile took off successfully and hit the designated target meeting all mission parameters.

"Today's BrahMos trial was a highly complex mission as it had three-way points unlike one in earlier trials. The missile hit the target after making three curves (in a bid to avoid obstacles mid way) at a speed of one km per second. It's a roaring success," a source told The New Indian Express.

The trial was conducted as part of a user training exercise. The missile used in the test was randomly selected from the production lot. DRDO provided logistics support for the mission.

The unique weapon system, best in its class in the world, has empowered all three wings of the Indian armed forces with impeccable land attack and anti-ship capability.

“With the successful test-firing, the Indian armed forces are now capable of knocking down enemy targets at any complex conditions. The missile performed high-level and extremely complex manoeuvres proving its prowess once again,” the source informed.

A joint venture of India and Russia, the nine metre long missile can travel at thrice the speed of sound and carry a conventional warhead weighing upto 300 kg. It's strike range has been extended from 290 km to 450 km.

The land based weapon complex comprises four to six mobile autonomous launchers controlled by a mobile command post and a mobile replenishment vehicle. The missiles can be fired on three different targets or in a variety of other combinations near simultaneously.

It can effectively engage ground targets from an altitude as low as 10 metres for surgical strikes at terror training camps across the border without causing collateral damage.

BrahMos is the only supersonic cruise missile possessing the advanced capability providing an edge to the user with precise hit. The Indian Army is the first in the world to have a regiment of supersonic cruise missiles with advanced capabilities.

The army has already inducted both Block-I and Block-II versions of the missile after a series of successful test firings proving the missile’s manoeuvring power, precision hitting of the target and other operative capabilities. The land-attack and air-launched variants have been deployed close to the Line of Actual Control following Chinese aggression.