Supersonic cruise missile BrahMos successfully flight-tested from Pokhran

Supersonic cruise missile BrahMos was successfully flight-tested from Rajasthan's Pokhran test range on Thursday.

Pokhran: India on Thursday successfully flight-tested the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos from Rajasthan's Pokhran test range. The missile, which is the result of an Indo-Russia joint venture, can fly almost three times the speed of sound at Mach 2.8 and has a range of 290 km. The range of the BrahMos missile can be further extended up to 400 km as certain technical restrictions were lifted after India became a full member of the Missile Technology Control Regime or MTCR in 2016.

"Formidable Supersonic Cruise Missile #BrahMos was successfully flight tested at 8:42 AM today at Pokhran test range, Rajasthan. The precision strike weapon with Indian-made seeker flew in its designated trajectory and hit the target with pin-point accuracy," tweeted Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Efforts are on to integrate the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile on 40 Sukhoi combat aircraft which is expected to fulfill critical needs of the Indian Air Force in the wake of evolving security dynamics in the region. The supersonic cruise missile was last test-fired in November 2017 from the Indian Air Force's fighter, Sukhoi-30MKI.

BrahMos was also showcased at the Dubai Air Show last year where it generated a lot of buzz among the participating nations.

Some Quick Facts About BrahMos

BrahMos is a medium range ramjet supersonic cruise missile.

It can be launched from the land, air and the sea.

It is a joint venture between India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russian Federation's NPO Mashinostroeyenia.

The word BrahMos is a portmanteau of rivers Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.

It boasts of a speed of Mach 2.8 to 3.0, making it the fastest anti-ship cruise missile in the world.

Its speed is now being upgraded to Mach 5.0

It was inducted into service in 2006 and is used by the Indian Army, Air Force and the Navy.

It weighs between 2,500 kg and 3,000 kg, has a length of about 8.4 meters with a warhead of about 200-300 kg.