BrahMos, world's fastest anti-ship cruise missile developed jointly by India & Russia, has caught the attention of a number of countries who want to buy it. It has been developed at a low budget of $300 million. However, a lack of clarity in the defence exports policy means that it has not yet been sold. India's eagerness to export homemade items has been more pronounced after the 'Make in India' call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who also pitches for export of defence items to friendly countries. We take a look at some interesting facts about the BrahMos missile: (DRDO photo) -
BrahMos is a short-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia. (DRDO photo)
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The missile has a range of 290 km, has a maximum velocity of 2.8 Mach and cruises at altitudes varying from 10 metres to 15 km, claims BrahMos. It can be launched in either inclined or vertical configuration based on the type of the ship. (DRDO photo)
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The land-attack version of BrahMos is fitted on an mobile autonomous launcher. The mobile land-based configuration of has achieved several advancements over the years in the form of Block I, Block II and Block III variants. (DRDO photo)
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BrahMos is also capable of being launched from submarine from a depth of 40-50 metres. In 2013, it was successfully launched from a submerged platform. (DRDO photo)
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BrahMos air-launched version is getting ready to be soon be test-flown from the Su-30MKI fighter of the IAF. (DRDO photo)
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The agreement between India and Russia for development of the advanced BrahMos system allows the use of the missile in both countries' armed forces and export to other friendly countries. Owing to this, countries from Latin America and southeast Asia have expressed their interest for the missile system. (DRDO photo)
A new and advanced version of BrahMos is being developed. It will be equipped with a compact engine that can reach speed of Mach 3.3. Having range of 300 km, the missile will have capacity to carry a payload of 300 kg. With weight of 1.4-1.6 tonne and length of 6 metre, the BrahMos-NG (next generation) will be a breakthrough, meeting requirements of both the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force. (DRDO photo)
