BrahMos missile successfully tested from Navy’s INS Delhi, IAF’s Sukhoi-30 MKI

“Successful maiden BrahMos firing by INS Delhi from an upgraded modular launcher once again demonstrated long range strike capability of BrahMos along with validation of integrated network centric operations from frontline platforms. This firing is yet another shot in the arm for Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” said a tweet from the Indian Navy.

Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force also undertook live firing of the BrahMos missile from a Sukhoi-30 MkI aircraft on the Eastern seaboard on Tuesday. The missile achieved a direct hit on the target, a decommissioned Indian Navy ship. The mission was undertaken in close coordination with the Indian Navy, the IAF said.

The Indian Navy on March 5 successfully test-fired an advanced version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the stealth destroyer INS Chennai in the Indian Ocean.

Successful maiden #BrahMos firing by #INSDelhi from an upgraded modular launcher once again demonstrated long range strike capability of BrahMos alongwith validation of integrated Network Centric Operations from frontline platforms (1/2)#CombatReady #Credible #FutureProofForce pic.twitter.com/fY9BAsO8Li

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) April 19, 2022

In January this year, BrahMos was successfully test-fired by India from the Indian Navy’s newly-commissioned guided-missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam on the Western seaboard, precisely hitting the target ship at the maximum range.

The first test of BrahMos air-launched cruise missile was conducted in 2017, making it a significant addition to the IAF’s operational capabilities from stand-off ranges. Stand-off range missiles are ones that are launched at a distance sufficient to allow the attacking party to evade defensive fire expected from the target area.

The Indian Navy began deploying BrahMos on its frontline warships in 2005. The missile has the capability to hit sea-based targets beyond the radar horizon. The naval version has been successful time and again in sea-to-sea and sea-to-land modes.

The BrahMos from a ship can be launched as a single unit or in a salvo of up to eight in numbers separated by 2.5 seconds intervals. These salvos can hit and destroy a group of targets having modern missile defence systems. BrahMos as a ‘prime strike weapon’ for the ships significantly increases their capability of engaging naval surface targets at long ranges.

The first test launch of the initial version of BrahMos took place in 2001. Various types of the BrahMos, including those which can be fired from land, warships, submarines and Sukhoi-30 fighter jets, have already been developed and successfully tested and inducted since then.

A combination of the names of India’s Brahmaputra and Russian Moskva rivers, BrahMos missiles are designed, developed and produced by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture company set up by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Mashinostroyenia of Russia.