BRAHMOS - The World's Fastest Cruise Missile
Indian Express (March 12, 2010) Print This News
BRAHMOS - one of the best cruise missiles in the world - has provided the Indian armed forces with a tactical advantage in military operations. Known for its accuracy, the missile has today become an integral part of the Indian military arsenal. Realisation of this high potent cruise missile is the best example on Indo- Russian friendship.
Considered one of the fastest cruise missiles in the world, the BRAHMOS has a flight range of 290-km with supersonic speed at 2.8 mach all through the flight, leading to shorter flight time, consequently ensuring lower dispersion of targets, quicker engagement time and non-interception by any known weapon system in the world. The BRAHMOS is designed to attack surface as well as sea targets. The missile was recently tested in the land attack mode giving extreme surgical strike capability to the Indian Army, as a block- II version, where an obscure target within a cluster of buildings was to be destroyed.
This hold special significance for India, which is upgrading its arsenal post 26/11. Agrees Dr S Pillai, CEO, BrahMos, " BRAHMOS is a system capable of neutralizing target precisely. In a complex land based scenario where we have to target a low definition target as compared to the surrounding structure or building. It is embedded with very high intelligence software to neutralise the desired target with greater accuracy. The Indian army is the only land force in the World to have precision attack supersonic cruise missile."
An air attack version of the BRAHMOS is under development. The missile ground trials being over, the work related with the platform is progressing. The BrahMos team, DRDO,NPOM, Indian Air Force, Sukhoi Desig Bureau and HAL will work together to integrate the missile in fuselage of the SU-30 MKI. The IAF is to provide two aircraft for flight testing schedule to begin in 2011, and to be operational for IAF by end of 2012.
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Dr. Jaiteerth R. Joshi is an outstanding defence scientist renowned for his distinct leadership in the design, development, strategic planning & production of tactical missile systems of the country. He has led various initiatives in Joint development of Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LRSAM) & Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM).
