India was able to successfully test-fire a land-attack version of BrahMos, the fastest supersonic cruise missile in the world, on Tuesday, November 24. It was tested by the Indian Army at 10 am on Tuesday in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and was able to hit its target on another island successfully.
“The strike range of BrahMos missile has now been enhanced to over 400 km.”According to sources, as reported by ET.
The live missile test efforts are on to extend its range to 400, 800, and 1500 km – from land, water, or air – according to The Print.
The launch of India and Russia’s joint venture in the late 1990s led to the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile becoming a strong weapon for all three wings of the armed forces.
The Indian Navy had carried out test-firing of the missile from the INS Chennai warship last month. This highlighted its capability to hit targets, in high seas, at over a 400-km range.
Recently, the range of the missile system has been extended from 298 km to 450 km by the DRDO, which has successfully tested currently existing and newer missile systems. According to a report by the Economic Times, this includes various technology demonstration vehicles for hypersonic missile technology, and the Shaurya missile system which can easily hit targets over a range of 800 km.
The Economic Times reported quoting sources that the target is to test an 800-km range BrahMos next year. Reports further state that India is trying to find export markets for the Brahmos Missile, which is largely native to the DRDO under its project, PJ10.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)