NEW DELHI: India will have the first hypersonic missile in its arsenal in the next six years, informed the BrahMos Aerospace on Monday.
Atul Rane, CEO and MD, BrahMos Aerospace said, "BrahMos Aerospace is capable of making hypersonic missiles. In five to six years, we will be able to have our first hypersonic missile by BrahMos".
Rane was speaking at an event to launch the 'Silver Jubilee Year' celebration (1998-2023) to mark the incredible journey of BrahMos military partnership programmes producing cruise missile BrahMos. BrahMos Aerospace, an India-Russian joint venture was established in 1998.
The 'Silver Jubilee Year' celebrations would begin on June 12 and would end on February 12, 2023, on 'BrahMos Raising Day.' The celebrations will include several key events, meets, and competitions at the national level.
Towards the process of attaining the hypersonic speed, India successfully tested Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) in September by integrating scramjet engine technology.
The HSTDV technology will be assisting the country to develop futuristic space assets like long-range missile systems and aerial platforms.
The HSTDV is capable of powering missiles to attain a speed of around Mach 6 or six times the speed of sound. Only a very few countries like the US, Russia and China have such a capability.
India not only has armed the three services with the BrahMos Missiles but has also started exporting it. As reported earlier by this newspaper the Philippines Department of National Defence approved a $374.96 million (Rs 2700 cr) contract for the purchase of a shore-based anti-ship missile system from India.
As per the initial deal The Philippines will get three missile batteries of missile system which has a range of 290 kilometres and a speed of 2.8 Mach (thrice the speed of sound).
India has been in talks with Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand and few other nations that have shown interest in the system.
The work is already on to extend the range of BrahMos missiles which can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land.