BHUBANESWAR: In yet another shot in the arm for Atmanirbhar Bharat, India on Saturday successfully test-fired an advanced version of supersonic cruise missile BrahMos from a warship reconfirming the combat readiness of the armed forces.
The anti-ship missile was launched by the Indian Navy from one of its frontline destroyers striking the target ship at maximum range with pinpoint accuracy at an undisclosed location.
Defence sources said the missile destroyed the target, a decommissioned ship, with high accuracy after performing extremely complex manoeuvres.
"The long-range precision strike capability of the advanced version of BrahMos missile was successfully validated. The test demonstrated combat and mission readiness of frontline platforms," a Navy spokesperson said.
Although the strike range of the missile has been extended from 290 km to 450 km after India's full membership to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), which removed caps on range of cruise missiles, the Navy did not disclose the location of test and range of the missile.
BrahMos as prime strike missile ensures the warship's invincibility by engaging naval surface targets at long ranges re-affirming the destroyer as one of the several lethal platforms of the Indian Navy fitted with the world-class weapon system.
Its multi-platform launch capability can conceivably be used for pinpoint strikes on the economic and strategic assets located deep inside enemy territory. The missile can also target command-and-control centres and other high-value military targets like surface ships or aircraft carriers on the high seas from long stand-off distances.
The user trial came weeks after it was flight tested from a land-based launcher by the Indian Army. On December 8, the air-launched version of the BrahMos was successfully test-fired from Sukhoi-30MKI fighter aircraft clearing it for production. An advanced variant of BrahMos missile with indigenous sub-systems was test-fired from the Integrated Test Range off Odisha coast in January.
A joint venture of India-Russia, the supersonic cruise missile can be launched from all platforms - land, aircraft, ships and submarines. The armed forces have already inducted BrahMos that can fly almost three times the speed of sound at Mach 2.8.