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BrahMos missile to be tested in baltic sea
India’s supersonic cruise missile BrahMos will be test-fired in the Baltic Sea from a new Russian-built stealth warship this September, the first such launch outside the country.
India’s supersonic cruise missile BrahMos will be test-fired in the Baltic Sea from a new Russian-built stealth warship this September, the first such launch outside the country.
BrahMos Aerospace CEO A. Sivanthanu Pillai told HT, “The missile will be launched from INS Teg (Sabre) which is being built at the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad (Russia). The launcher and fire control systems have been installed on the warship.”
The erstwhile USSR’s Baltic Sea fleet was located in Kaliningrad, the first line of defence against an attack from the West during the Cold War. The Teg is one of the three stealth frigates Russia is building for India under a $1.5 billion (Rs 6,750 crore) contract.
Pillai said, “The other two warships, INS Tarkash (Quiver) and INS Trikand (Bow), will also be armed with BrahMos. We are expanding our production capability to cater to orders from the Army and Navy.”
The BrahMos, an Indian-Russian joint venture, can deliver a conventional warhead up to 290 km. The navy has inducted the missile on frontline warships such as the Rajput class of destroyers. It is the world’s only supersonic cruise missile.
The missile, which can attain a speed of Mach 2.8, has been tweaked to meet the air force’s requirements.
He said, “The weight has been reduced from 3 tonnes to 2.5 tonnes for the air-launched version. The IAF has earmarked two Sukhoi-30 fighter planes for trials next year.”
