India Successfully Test-Fires Supersonic Brahmos Missile From Su30MKI

The first ever air-launched Brahmos missile has hit a target at a distance of 280 kilometers in the Bay of Bengal. The missile was dropped from the Su-30 jet's fuselage, and the two-stage missile’s engine fired up and propelled it straightway towards the intended target.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — With the successful flight test of world's fastest supersonic cruise missile BrahMos from the Indian Air Force's (IAF)  Sukhoi-30MKI frontline fighter aircraft, India has given a major boost to its air attack capabilities. The Indian Ministry of Defense has said that the successful maiden test firing of the BrahMos Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) from a Su-30MKI will significantly bolster the IAF's air combat operations capability from stand-off ranges.

"A BrahMos ALCM weighing 2.5 tons is the heaviest weapon to be deployed on India's Su-30 fighter aircraft, modified by HAL to carry weapons. Brahmos, a world-class weapon with a multi-platform, multi-mission role is now capable of being launched from Land, Sea, and Air, completing the tactical cruise missile triad for India," India's Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

 BrahMos is a joint venture between India's Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia's rocket design bureau NPO Mashinostroyeniya. Indian defense minister Nirmala Sitharaman congratulated DRDO and BrahMos for the outstanding accomplishment.

The IAF has signed a contract for the delivery of air-launched BrahMos cruise missiles from January 2018. So far three Su-30 MKI jets have been modified to accommodate the new cruise missile and in total it will modify at least 50 Su-30MKI aircraft to carry the nuclear-capable cruise missiles. The IAF plans to induct at least 200 BrahMos-compatible fighter jets in the coming years.

India tested the land version of the BrahMos missile in April this year, when it hit a target at a distance of approximately 450 kilometers (280 miles) in the Bay of Bengal. The Indian Navy too is equipping all its ships with the BrahMos missile system. Russia supplies 65% of the BrahMos' components, including its ramjet engine and radar seeker.

 sputniknews