The Defence Ministry on Thursday signed a ₹1,700-crore contract with BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd for 35 combat and three practice BrahMos supersonic surface-to-surface cruise missiles for two P-15B class of stealth guided missile destroyers of the Indian Navy.
“Induction of these dual-role capable missiles will significantly enhance the operational capability of the Navy fleet assets,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
Four stealth guided missile destroyers being constructed under Project-15B at a project cost of about ₹29,643.74 crore are a follow-on to the Kolkata class (Project 15A) destroyers. They are christened after major cities from all four corners of the country — Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal and Surat. While INS Visakhapatnam was commissioned end 2021, the remaining three have been launched into waters.
They are designed by the Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design and constructed by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai. With a displacement of 7,400 tonnes, they feature enhanced stealth features resulting in a reduced Radar Cross Section and are packed with sophisticated state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, including BrahMos and Barak-8 Surface-to-Air missiles.
Joint venture
BrahMos is a joint venture between the DRDO and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya and the missile derives its name from Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers. The missile is capable of being launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air against surface and sea-based targets and has been long inducted by the Indian armed forces.
The range of the missile was originally capped at 290 km as per obligations of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). Following India’s entry into the club in June 2016, DRDO officials had stated that the range would be extended to 450 km and to 600 km at a later stage. The ER version has been tested several times from warships, including from INS Visakhapatnam.
