BrahMos installation test flight in Baltic Sea

An installation test flight of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is scheduled to take place this year in the Baltic Sea from a stealth frigate being built for the Indian Navy at Kaliningrad in Russia, A. Sivathanu Pillai, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, BrahMos Aerospace Limited, said on Tuesday.

The missile’s vertical launcher and fire control system, made in India, was transported to Kaliningrad and fitted into the stealth frigate, a Talwar-class ship.

Dr. Pillai disclosed this when Russian National Security Advisor Nikolai Patroshev, along with Ambassador Alexander Kadakin, visited the BrahMos Complex in New Delhi.

The BrahMos missile is a joint product of India and Russia and it has already been inducted into the Indian Navy and Army.

Patroshev is all praise

Mr. Patroshev, who is leading a high-level delegation, lauded the development of the BrahMos as a remarkable achievement made in a short time. “The joint venture BrahMos is a bright illustration of the successful work of the Russian and Indian scientists and designers. It is based on the highest trust…”

Mr. Kadakin said the best brains of the two countries coming together made the system highly advanced and reliable.

Dr. Pillai gave an account of the progress made by the joint venture in the last 10 years and the possible areas for future collaboration. The Russian delegation’s visit would further encourage the joint venture, he said.

Three Talwar-class ships to be built for the Indian Navy by Russia would have BrahMos missiles.

There are four versions of BrahMos now: sea-to-sea; sea-to-land; land-to-sea; and land-to-land. Work on launching the cruise missile from submarines and aircraft was in progress, Dr. Pillai said.

Impossible to intercept

K.V. Prasad reports from New Delhi:

Established in 1998, BrahMos Aerospace, produces and markets the BrahMos supersonic missiles. Known as BrahMos Block-2, the missile has a top speed of over Mach 5, making it virtually impossible to intercept, and it can effectively engage even slightly visible ground targets. It has been designed primarily to meet the needs of the Army.

“Army officials said they were pleased with last year’s ground trials of the missile, and approved putting it into service,” Russian news agency Ria-Novosti said, quoting Dr. Pillai.

The company has also been working on another version of the missile, BrahMos-A for the Air Force. The IAF selected the multirole fighter Sukhoi-MKI as the platform for trials scheduled for next year and targets fitment in 2012.

Modifications to Su-30 MKI for integration with the BrahMos-A missile system are being carried out by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Russia’s Sukhoi Design Bureau.