Three services to have BrahMos missiles

Three services to have BrahMos missiles

The Hindu

Arunkumar Bhatt

The Navy has started inducting the missile, the Army and the Air Force to follow suit

MUMBAI: While the Navy has started inducting multi-role, supersonic cruise missile, BrahMos, in a big way, the Army and the Air Force are poised to follow suit to be able to `destabilise' critical targets with pinpoint accuracy.

"Army is very keen to have the missile and we are working on the `land to land' version of it for the Army," said Dr. A. Sivathanu Pillai, chief controller of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Dr. Pillai is also the managing director of BrahMos Aerospace, an Indo-Russian joint venture that designed and developed the world's only supersonic cruise missile and is now engaged in its production and marketing. He was here to ceremoniously receive the first airframe section of BrahMos from the Chairman of Godrej and Boyce Mfg. Company, J.N. Godrej. About 20 Indian and seven Russian companies are making critical systems for the missile.

He said that the missile was undergoing critical tests to meet the Army's specific requirements to be able to take on different types of targets. The army version would have features like position updating, terrain-hugging, homing image analysis and higher degree of data processing .

The Army is raising a special BrahMos Regiment of three batteries comprising a mobile launcher, mobile and fixed command centres besides other supporting facilities.

The Air Force has identified Su-30 Mk1 aircraft to be able to deliver air-launched version of the BrahMos. The air-launched version will be lighter in weight with its reduced booster. Dr. Pillai said that it would have the advantage of the speed of the platform itself. It would have fins for stability and a simplified nose.

He said that one BrahMos could be fitted under the belly of Su-30 without any structural modification. Two more could be added under the wings if they were upgraded. The Air Force has already accepted the feasibility report and the missile is being readied for test. The army version has already undergone two tests. Both the services would be able to induct the missile in a couple of years.

The BrahMos is a multiple-platform missile for the Navy. All new warships would be armed with the BrahMos and all big ships undergoing a refit would also get it, he said. The Navy would be able to fit even its land-based maritime reconnaissance aircraft, TU-142 for air to ship attacks while being on surveillance missions. The aircraft would be able to carry up to six BrahMos. The Navy has already fitted four two-tube missile launchers onboard INS Rajput, a Kashin class destroyer. All five warships of this class would get BrahMos.