India's Latest Destroyer, INS Kochi, Validates BrahMos Cruise Missile Firing

 

India's latest stealth guided missile Destroyer, INS Kochi, today validated its capability to fire the Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, when it tested the weapon system at sea off the western coast. The warship was commissioned by Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sep.30, 2015. Today's trial was the 49th test firing of BrahMos missile.

"The formidable BrahMos supersonic cruise missile on Sunday, Nov.1, 2015 validated its strike power yet again after being successfully tested from Indian Navy's newest stealth destroyer INS Kochi on the West coast of India," an official announcement said. The second of Project 15A Kolkata-class guided missile destroyer test fired the advanced BrahMos missile system as part of an Acceptance Test Firing during a naval drill being conducted off India's West coast.

The world's fastest cruise missile, after performing high-level and extremely complex maneuvres, successfully hit a decommissioned target ship 'Alleppey' located at nearly full range of the missile (290-km), with high precision.

After two successful test trials from INS Kolkata in June 2014 and February 2015, today's test firing from the follow-on INS Kochi has validated the newly-commissioned ship's systems.

"BrahMos as the prime strike weapon will ensure the warship's invincibility by engaging naval surface targets at long ranges, thus making the destroyer another lethal platform of Indian Navy," BrahMos Aerospace CEO and Managing Director Sudhir Mishra confirmed the successful test by phone.

The 7,500-ton indigenously developed INS Kochi incorporates new design concepts for improved survivability, stealth, sea-keeping and manoeuvrability.

The warship has the advanced capability of carrying a total of 16 BrahMos missiles in two 8-cell vertical launch systems, besides other sophisticated weapons and sensors.

BrahMos missile having supersonic speed of Mach 2.8, a very low-cruising altitude of 10 meters at terminal phase and pin-point accuracy, would make the warship one of the deadliest in the Indian Navy fleet.

The two-stage BrahMos missile, a joint development by India and Russia, has been in service with the Indian Navy since 2005. 

 armingin