New Delhi: India today successfully fired a BrahMos supersonic cruise missile in an anti-ship mode, hitting bullseye on the intended target, in a test conducted live by the navy from a destroyer.

This was part of a series of tri-service BrahMos tests conducted in the last one week, even as a military conflict rages with China in Ladakh since May this year.

“(A) BrahMos supersonic cruise missile in (an) anti-ship mode was successfully test fired today at 0900 hours against a decommissioned ship. The test firing was carried out by (the) Indian Navy. The missile performed highly complex manoeuvres and hit the bull’s eye of the target,” a Ministry of Defence statement said.

BrahMos is jointly developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya, under the Brahmos Aerospace joint venture, which is now BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited.

“The missile has established itself as a major force multiplier in modern-day complex battlefields with its impeccable anti-ship and land-attack capabilities with multi-role and multi-platform abilities and has been deployed in all the three wings of the Indian armed forces,” the statement said.

The first launch of BrahMos took place in 2001 and till date numerous launches have taken place from various ships, mobile autonomous launchers and Su-30MKI aircraft, making it a versatile weapon.

DRDO Chairman and Department of Defence Research and Development Secretary Dr G. Satheesh Reddy, apart from DRDO Director General and BrahMos Aerospace Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Dr Sudhir Kumar Mishra, congratulated the Indian Navy, DRDO and BrahMos Aerospace for the successful test.

The BrahMos missile was successfully launched by INS Ranvijay, a SNF class destroyer of Indian Navy, striking the target ship at maximum range with pinpoint accuracy in the Bay of Bengal, according to a statement from the missile maker.

BrahMos as a ‘prime strike weapon’ will ensure the warship’s invincibility by engaging naval surface targets at long ranges, thus re-affirming the destroyer as one of the several lethal platform of the Indian Navy fitted with weapon system.

Dr Mishra said the navy launch has resulted in successful BrahMos week, which saw four launches by Indian armed forces: Two Launches by the Indian Army in a land-to-land mode on Nov. 24 and 25; One launch by the Indian Air Force in an air-to-land mode on Nov. 25; and now the launch by the Indian Navy in a ship-to-ship mode today.

“All the launches have precisely hit the targets. Never in the history has such feat been accomplished by any other weapon system, and we are proud that we are able to complement our armed forces with the best missile system in the world which has no competition in its class,” he added.

BrahMos Aerospace, an India-Russia joint venture, produces the supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or from land platforms. The armed forces have already inducted the 290-km range land and warship-based versions of the BrahMos missiles, which fly almost three times the speed of sound at Mach 2.8, over the last decade.

A sleeker version of air-breathing missile was also test-fired from Su-30MKI fighter jet in October. Multi-platform launch capability of BrahMos missile can conceivably be used for pinpoint strikes on the enemy economic and strategic assets located deep inside enemy territory, or command-and-control centres and other high-value military targets like surface ships or aircraft carriers on the high seas, from long stand-off distances.

Within a span of seven days, India’s army, navy and air force have test-fired a number of BrahMos missiles, all with precise accuracy hitting their targets. Such a feat has demonstrated & confirmed 100 per cent reliability and superiority of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.

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