The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is all set to become a
“super rocket” soon, which would beef up India’s
tactical defence capability significantly. However, the test launches of the
air variant of the BrahMos II hyper-sonic missile, which were supposed to be
completed by 2012, are experiencing delays. The realistic date for completion
of these tests is now believed to be 2015.
Sources in the Indian strategic establishment said India
has upgraded its BrahMos missiles by “wedding” these with Russia’s
advanced satellite navigation systems. The “marriage” of the BrahMos’s
navigation systems with Russia's
Kh-555 and Kh-101 strategic long-range cruise missiles has made BrahMos a
“super rocket”. The word “rocket” here is used in context of a weapon, not a
space rocket.
The new avatar of BrahMos will have to undergo tests and
field trials before it becomes operational with the Indian defence services.
However, this would not take unduly long.
The improved version of BrahMos will be endowed with a
sub-strategic capability and would increase its tactical range too. The new
version would also be capable of carrying nuclear warheads and can be launched
from sea, land and air, like the old version. Its range of hitting targets
would now be over 180-300 miles (300-500 km).
The new air-launched version of BrahMos will be carried by
Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft. The Indian Air Force is set to be a far more
potent force by 2020 when it is scheduled to deploy 200 advanced Sukhoi
fighters, equipped with the new version of BrahMos “super rockets.” This will
be a lethal combination and will make the Sukhois strategic bombers.
Another important feature of the upgraded BrahMos missile is
that it has added GPS-GLONASS technology to it. This is of vital strategic
importance as GLONASS, Russia’s
navigation service provider, gives India
access to military signals, while the American GPS does not.
BrahMos missile is jointly developed by India
and Russia and
is named after two major rivers – Brahmaputra of India and Muscova of Russia.
The missile is capable of flying at a very high speed at tree-top levels which
adds to its tactical utility.
BrahMos is a two-stage missile with a solid propellant
booster engine as its first stage which brings it to supersonic speed and then
gets separated. BrahMos is the first supersonic cruise missile known to be in
service and is deployed on INS Rajput since 2005. The missile has 'fire and
forget' principle, adopting varieties of flights on its way to the target. Its
destructive power is enhanced due to large kinetic energy on impact. Its
cruising altitude could be up to 15 km (9.3 miles) and terminal altitude is as
low as 10 meters.
Compared to existing state-of-the-art subsonic cruise
missiles, BrahMos has three times more velocity, 2.5 to 3 times more flight
range, 3 to 4 times more seeker range and 9 times more kinetic energy. The
missile has identical configuration for land, sea and sub-sea platforms and
uses a Transport Launch Canister (TLC) for transportation, storage and launch.
The missile is universal for multiple platforms and can pin point accuracy with
high lethal power aided by large kinetic energy on impact. It has shorter
flight times leading to lower target dispersion and quicker engagement.
So far India
has deployed BrahMos missile in the western sector only against Pakistan.
However, since the missile is fitted on a mobile launcher it can be transported
anywhere in the country and deployed within a short time. The Indian Army is
planning to deploy it against China
as well in near future. India
started a massive war preparedness drill in Arunachal Pradesh in the
north-eastern sector codenamed “Pralaya” on February 29, 2012.
BrahMos is a stealth supersonic cruise missile that can be
launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. It is about three-and-a-half
times faster than the USA's
subsonic Harpoon cruise missile and three times faster than USA's
subsonic Tomahawk missile. India
has also planned an air-launched variant which is expected to come out in 2012
and will make India
the only country with supersonic missiles in all the defence forces. However,
the 2012 deadline is unlikely to be met.
A hypersonic version of the missile, which is also presently
under development with speed of Mach 7 to boost aerial fast strike capability,
is expected to be ready by 2016. BrahMos has the capability of attacking
surface targets by flying as low as 10 meters.
The air launch version and the submarine launch version of
the missile system are in progress. The Indian Army has so far placed orders
for the BrahMos missile to be deployed by three regiments of the Army and two
of them have already been inducted operationally. A hypersonic version of the missile,
which is also presently under development with speed of Mach 7 to boost aerial
fast strike capability, is expected to be ready by 2016.
The army and navy versions of the BrahMos missile weigh
three tons or more. The missile is also available for exports whosoever is
interested in it as long as they are ready to shell out about $2-3 million
apiece. The cost depends on the version. The BrahMos has been developed as a
joint venture between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
of India and
the Federal State Unitary Enterprise NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM) of Russia
under BrahMos Aerospace. The missile is named after two rivers, the Brahmaputra
of India and the Moskva of Russia.
