Commercial export of BrahMos likely by year-end

Moscow: The first contract for the export of jointly developed Indo-Russian BrahMos cruise missile to a "friendly" country is in pipeline and could be inked by the end of this year.

"First contract for the delivery of BrahMos cruise missiles to a friendly country is expected to be signed by the end of the year," CEO of the New Delhi-based BrahMos Aerospace, Sivathanu Pillai, said here.

BrahMos Joint Venture between India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russian NPO Mashinostroyenia has been initially authorised by their respective governments to export the deadly missiles to mutually agreed "friendly" countries and the list of potential importers would be extended.

"There is a huge market for cruise missiles. BrahMos is unique among cruise missiles due to its 2.8 Mach supersonic speed (all other cruise missiles are sub-sonic at present) and much-longer strike range. It's the ultimate force-multiplier," Pillai said.

It is expected that on achieving full production, BrahMos Aerospace could export at least 1000 missiles over a decade.

The two countries are going to increase capacities for production of these crusie missiles, he said.

The export version will basically be the anti-ship variant of the 290-km range BrahMos, already inducted into Indian Navy.

This year Indian Army is also scheduled to induct land-based version of the missile, while the work is in advanced stages to develop a compact version for arming Indian Air Force's Sukhoi Su-30 multirole fighters and long-range navel reconnaissance aircraft.

"Successful tests of the BrahMos missiles have confirmed the correctness of the chosen concept, reliability, high combat effec iveness and readiness of these weapons for commercial production," Pillai told reporters after receiving 'Order of Peter the Great' awarded to him by Academy of Security, Defence and Law and Order Problems.