BHUBANESWAR: The Indian Army on Tuesday successfully test fired the land attack version of supersonic cruise missile BrahMos from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, hitting the target with pin-point accuracy and proving that it can avoid interception by missile defence systems.
Defence sources said the missile was fired from a mobile autonomous launcher deployed in full configuration against a target in the Bay of Bengal, at about 10 am. It was the first trial of the three-part series planned by three defence forces this month.
All telemetry and tracking stations including naval ships near the terminal point have confirmed the success of the trial. The missile fired in top-attack mode hit the designated target, meeting all mission parameters.
“The BrahMos trial was a highly complex mission as it had three waypoints unlike one in earlier tests. The missile hit the target after making three curves (in a bid to avoid obstacles mid way) at a speed of one km per second. The missile proved its capability of escaping advanced air defence interception,” a defence official told TNIE.
The unique weapon system, best in its class in the world, has empowered all three wings of the Indian Armed Forces with impeccable land attack and anti-ship capability. The trial was conducted by Southern Command of the army as part of user training exercise. The missile used in the test was randomly selected from the production lot. DRDO provided all logistic supports for the mission.
“With the successful test firing, the Indian Armed Forces are now capable of neutralising enemy targets in any complex conditions. The missile performed high-level and extremely complex manoeuvres proving its prowess once again,” the official informed.
A joint venture between India and Russia, the nine-meter long missile can travel at thrice the speed of sound and carry a conventional warhead weighing up to 300 kg. Its strike range has been extended from 290 km to 450 km.
The land-based weapon complex comprises four to six mobile autonomous launchers controlled by a mobile command post and a mobile replenishment vehicle. The missiles can be fired on three different targets. It can effectively engage ground targets from an altitude as low as 10 metre without causing collateral damage.
The army has already inducted both Block-I and Block-II versions of the missile after a series of successful test firings proving the missile’s manoeuvring power, precision hitting of the target and other operative capabilities. The land attack and air-launched variants have been deployed close to Line of Actual Control following Chinese aggression.
Test by navy and air-force is on schedule. After the successful test of land-attack version, India is preparing for two more trials of the missile’s naval and air-launched variants in the Indian Ocean region.