Context
India successfully test-fired an extended-range version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a Sukhoi fighter jet in the Bay of Bengal, in a boost to the country's strategic strike capability.
- It was the first launch of the extended range version of the BrahMos missile from a Su-30MKI aircraft.
Key-highlights of the launch
- Range: The range of the advanced version of the missile is learnt to have been extended to around 350 km from the original 290 km.
- The launch from the aircraft was as planned and the missile achieved a direct hit on the designated target in the Bay of Bengal region.
- The extended-range capability of the missile coupled with the high performance of the Su-30MKI aircraft gives the Indian Air Force a strategic reach and allows it to dominate future battlefields.
- With this (test-firing), the IAF has achieved the capability to carry out precision strikes from Su-30MKI aircraft against a land/ sea target over very long ranges.
- Besides the IAF, the Navy, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL) were involved in the test firing.
- BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd, an India-Russian joint venture, produces supersonic cruise missiles that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms.
- BrahMos missile flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach or almost three times the speed of sound.
About BrahMos
- The BrahMos (designated PJ-10) is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land.
- It is a joint venture between the Russian Federation's NPO Mashinostroyeniya and India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), who together have formed BrahMos Aerospace.
- It is the world's fastest anti-ship cruise missile in operation.
- In 2016, India became a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), India and Russia are now jointly developing a new generation of Brahmos missiles with 600 km-plus range.
- In 2019, India upgraded the missile with a new range of 500 km.
About Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)
- It is an informal and voluntary partnership established in 1987 among 35 countries to prevent the proliferation of ‘missile’ and ‘unmanned aerial vehicle’ technology capable of carrying above 500 kg payload for more than 300 km.
- In simple language, it aims to “prevent proliferation of missile/UAVs capable of carrying weapons of mass destruction by putting curbs on their export.”
- In 1992, the MTCR’s original focus on missiles for nuclear weapons delivery was extended to a focus on the proliferation of missiles for the delivery of all types of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), i.e., nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
- Such proliferation has been identified as a threat to international peace and security.
- One way to counter this threat is to maintain vigilance over the transfer of missile equipment, material, and related technologies usable for systems capable of delivering WMD.
