Successful Firing of BRAHMOS from Land and Air Platforms
India has successfully conducted two separate trials of BRAHMOS missile, launched from land and air platforms, to check its capability to hit targets with precision
The IAF on December 17 successfully fired the BRAHMOS air version missile from its frontline Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft, it said in a statement. “The launch from the aircraft was smooth and the missile followed the desired trajectory and achieved a direct hit on the sea target, off Odisha Coast line,” the press statement by IAF added.
The land-attack trail was also conducted successfully. The land-attack version of the missile was test- launched from Launch Pad-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur. “The first missile launch was from a land-based mobile launcher (MAL), where most of the components were indigenous, including the missile airframe, fuel management system and DRDO designed seeker,” a defence statement said.
The air-launched BRAHMOS missile, designed and developed by BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL), is a 2.5 tonne supersonic air-to-surface cruise missile with ranges close to 300 km. The IAF became the first air force in the world to have successfully fired an air-launched Trisonic class surface attack missile of this category on a sea target on 22 November 2017. This was followed by a second live launch over a land target on 22 May 2019. Today’s was the third such live launch of the weapon and with this launch, the integration of the missile on Su-30MKI aircraft, is complete. The software development and integration of weapon of the aircraft was undertaken by the IAF engineers while HAL carried out complex mechanical and electrical modifications on aircraft.
The firing was successfully undertaken with dedicated support from Indian Navy, the statement by IAF added.
The BRAHMOS missile provides Indian Air Force a much desired capability to strike form large stand-off ranges on any target at sea or on land with pinpoint accuracy by day or night and in all weather conditions. The capability of the missile coupled with the high performance of the Su-30MKI aircraft gives the IAF a strategic reach and allows it to dominate the battle fields over land and sea.