The Extended Range (ER) version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully test-fired for the first time from a Su-30MKI fighter on Thursday, the Indian Air Force (IAF) said.
“The launch from the aircraft was as planned and the missile achieved a direct hit on the designated target in the Bay of Bengal region,” the IAF said in a statement.
Stating that with this, IAF has achieved the capability to carry out precision strikes from Su-30MKI aircraft against a land/ sea target over very long ranges, the statement added, “The ER capability of the missile coupled with the high performance of the Su-30MKI aircraft gives the IAF a strategic reach and allows it to dominate the future battle fields.”
BrahMos is a joint venture between 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 then to 600km at a later stage. The ER version has been tested several times from warships including from the recently commissioned stealth guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam.
