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Naval
Forces News - India |
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Indian
Navy tests BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile from vessel |
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The
Indian Navy successfully tested on Wednesday a highly-maneuverable version
of a sea-based Brahmos supersonic cruise missile, an Indian defense
source told RIA Novosti.
The missile was fired from an unspecified warship off the coast of Vishakhapatnam
in Bay of Bengal in a 34th test by the Indian military. |
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A BRAHMOS
supersonic cruise missile is launched from INS Ranvir (Rajput class
Destroyer)
(File Picture: Brahmos Aerospace) |
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The source
said the missile made a “double-maneuver in S-form” and
hit the designated target ship just one meter above the waterline, “ripping
through the ship’s hull.”
India has recently updated BrahMos missiles by installing the advanced
satellite navigation systems from Russia's Kh-555 and Kh-101 strategic
long-range cruise missiles, adding GPS-GLONASS technology to the existing
doppler-inertial platform.
“After acquiring the target, the missile flies toward it with
high precision, constantly receiving updated coordinates from a satellite
navigation system,” the source said. |
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A BRAHMOS
supersonic cruise missile is vertically launched from a ship
(File Picture: Brahmos Aerospace) |
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The BrahMos
missile has a range of 290 km (180 miles) and can carry a conventional
warhead of up to 300 kg (660 lbs). It can effectively engage targets
from an altitude as low as 10 meters (30 feet) and has a top speed of
Mach 2.8, which is about three times faster than the U.S.-made subsonic
Tomahawk cruise missile.
Brahmos is based on the Russian-designed 3M55 Yakhont (SS-N-26) missile.
Sea- and ground-launched versions of the missile have been put into
service with the Indian Army and Navy.
The flight tests of the airborne version were expected to be completed
by the end of 2012.
The Indian Air Force is planning to arm 40 Su-30MKI Flanker-H fighters
with BrahMos missiles.
Russia and India recently agreed to develop hypersonic BrahMos 2 missile
capable of flying at speeds of Mach 5-Mach 7. |
