India successfully test-fires land-attack version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile

"The surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile BrahMos was launched "successfully" by India on Tuesday as part of a series of scheduled weapons tests known for its precision strike capabilities, official sources said.

The range of the latest land-attack variant of the missile was extended from the initial 290 km to 400 km, but its speed was retained at 2.8 Mach, or nearly three times the speed of sound, they said.

An official source said The land-attack version of the missile was test-fired in the Andaman and Nicobar at around 10 am and it was a successful trial"

According to official reports, the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy are expected to perform separate test firings in the next few days for a new variant of the airborne and naval variants of the supersonic cruise missile.

The India-Russian joint venture, BrahMos Aerospace, manufactures lethal weapons that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms.

In many strategic locations along the Line of Actual Control with China in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh, India has already deployed a large number of the original BrahMos missiles and other main assets.

India has launched a range of missiles in the last two and a half months, including an anti-radiation missile called Rudram-1, which is expected to be placed into operation by 2022.

A naval variant of the BrahMos missile was successfully tested on October 18, launched from the Indian Navy's indigenous stealth destroyer in the Arab Sea.

On October 30, 2020, the Indian Air Force tested the airborne variant of the weapon fired from a Sukhoi fighter aircraft in the Bay of Bengal.

The BrahMos missile gives the IAF ability to strike, day or night and in all weather conditions, from large stand-off ranges on any target at sea or on land with pinpoint precision.

The IAF is also incorporating the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile into more than 40 Sukhoi fighter jets to improve the force's overall fighting ability.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.