India test-fires land-attack version of BrahMos cruise missile.

The supersonic missile was test-fired from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, ANI news agency reported, adding that BrahMos successfully hit its target which was placed on another island.
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The BrahMos is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarine, ships, aircraft, or land (Picture source: Army Recognition)

India on 24th November test-fired a land-attack version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. “The supersonic cruise missile was testfired at 10 AM today and it successfully hit its target. The test was conducted by the Indian Army which has many regiments of the DRDO-developed Missile system », the Hindustan Times reports. The missile’s strike range has been enhanced to over 400 km (a range of 650 km had been planned by 2019, though).

This development comes amid reports India will carry out “multiple live tests” of the supersonic missile this week amid ongoing tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and, in recent days, the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan. As of last month, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had test-fired at least 10 missiles in just 35 days. One of those was BrahMos itself, which was test-fired from INS Chennai on October 18.

The BrahMos is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarine, ships, aircraft, or land. It is the fastest supersonic cruise missile in the world. It is a joint venture between the Russian Federation's NPO Mashinostroyeniya and India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), who together have formed BrahMos Aerospace. It is based on the Russian P-800 Oniks cruise missile and other similar sea-skimming Russian cruise missile technology. The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.

It is the world's fastest anti-ship cruise missile in operation. The land-launched and ship-launched versions are already in service. An air-launched variant of BrahMos appeared in 2012 and entered service in 2019. A hypersonic version of the missile, BrahMos-II, is also presently under development with a speed of Mach 7-8 to boost aerial fast strike capability. It is expected to be ready for testing by late 2020.

India wanted the BrahMos to be based on a mid-range cruise missile like the P-700 Granit. Its propulsion is based on the Russian missile, and missile guidance has been developed by BrahMos Aerospace. The missile is expected to reach a total order of US$13 billion.

In 2016, as India became a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), India and Russia are now planning to jointly develop a new generation of Brahmos missiles with 800 km-plus range and an ability to hit protected targets with pinpoint accuracy.