BrahMos

BrahMos
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The BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. It is a joint venture between Russia's Mashinostreyenia, and India's Brahmos Corp. Propulsion is based on the Russian Yakhont missile, while guidance is developed by Brahmos corp., established in India as a joint venture between India and Russia. BrahMos is currently one of the few supersonic cruise missiles in the world and at speeds of 2.5 to 2.8 Mach is about three times faster than the subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile.

The missile has been developed as a joint venture between the Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) from India and the Federal State Unitary Enterprise NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM) (Russia) under BrahMos Aerospace. The missile gets its name from two great rivers, the Brahmaputra and the Moskva. India and Russia intend to make 1,000 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles over the next ten years through their joint venture company, and nearly 50 percent of them are expected to be sold to other countries.

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12th test of the army version of BrahMos at a test range in Rajasthan

BrahMos is designed to be able to attack surface targets at as low an altitude as 10 meters and a speed of Mach 2.8, with a maximum range of 290 km^[1]. The ship-launched and land-based missiles have a 200 kg warhead, while the aircraft-launched variant (BrahMos A) has a 300 kg one. It has a two-stage propulsion system, with a solid-propellant rocket for initial acceleration and a liquid-fuelled ramjet responsible for sustained supersonic cruise. Air-breathing ramjet propulsion is much more fuel-efficient than rocket propulsion, giving the BrahMos a longer range than a pure rocket-powered missile would achieve.

The high speed of this missile enables it to inflict higher kinetic energy damage than slower cruise missiles such as the Tomahawk.

Although BrahMos is an anti-ship missile, it can also engage land based targets. The missile can be launched either in a vertical or inclined position and is capable of covering targets over a 360 degree horizon. The BrahMos missile has an identical configuration for land, sea and sub sea platforms. The air-launched version has a smaller booster and additional tail fins for added stability during launch. The missile is currently being configured for aerial deployment with the Su-30MKI as its carrier. An expert committee from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) has ruled out any structural modification to the advanced Su-30MKI, if it is to be fitted with the supersonic Brahmos cruise missile.

Technical specifications

• Length 8.4 m
• Diameter 60 cm
• Launch Weight 3,000 kg
• Warhead 300 kg conventional semi-armour piercing warhead
• Range 290 km
• Propulsion Two-stage integrated rocket/ramjet concept

Notes

1. ^ The publicised maximum range was determined partly by Russia and India's desire to avoid a perceived breach of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), which restricts technology transfer relating to missiles with a range longer than 300 km, and other proliferation rules - even though India is not a signatory to the said treaty. See the information from GlobalSecurity.org referred to in the external links below.

See also

• Agni missile
• Agni I
• Agni-II
• Agni-III
• Prithvi missile
• Dhanush (missile)
• Brahmos
• Sagarika

External links

• BrahMos official website
• The IT in India’s cruise missile
• BrahMos specification – At India Defence
• PJ-10 BrahMos – At Globalsecurity.org, retrieved June 2005
• BrahMos production status
• Article about BrahMos
• Indian Army To Get World's First Supersonic Cruise Missiles (SpaceDaily:SpaceWar) Jul 26, 2006
• Effect of Brahmos hit on a Petya class frigate
• Supersonic cruise missile BrahMos inducted into Indian defence forces - Govt. of India press release - 29 Nov 2006