The Indian Navy test-fired its supersonic BrahMos cruise missile from the stealth guided-missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam on Friday.
The destroyer conducted a series of tests before returning to port to participate in the President’s Fleet Review on February 21.
A video uploaded by the Indian Navy showed the vessel firing the weapon at an unspecified target.
The main weapon system on Indian warships, the BrahMos is a two-stage missile powered by a solid booster engine that propels it to nearly Mach 3 (2,284 miles/3,704 kilometers per hour).
The country is now developing an underwater version of the cruise missile to be integrated into submarines and offered for export to friendly nations.
In January, the Defence Research and Development Organisation announced that an advanced sea-to-sea variant of the BrahMos was tested from INS Visakhapatnam and hit the designated target ship “precisely.”
Indian Navy – 75 Years in Service of the Nation
President's Fleet Review
21 Feb 22#AzadiKaAmritMahotsav#AatmaNirbharBharat#PFR2022 #Visakhapatnam@rashtrapatibhvn@PMOIndia @DefenceMinIndia pic.twitter.com/XUl9gjcEhr— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) February 18, 2022
BrahMos Supersonic Missile
Developed by India-Russia joint venture BrahMos Aerospace, the BrahMos missile is equipped with stealth technology and a guidance system with advanced embedded software for precise target acquisition.
The missile has a flight range of up to 290 kilometers (180 miles) and can be launched from ships, aircraft, or other land platforms.
According to BrahMos Aerospace, the supersonic cruise missile has three times more velocity, three times more flight range, four times more seeker range, and nine times more kinetic energy than comparable subsonic cruise missiles.
Additionally, the weapon system has a low radar signature, provides pinpoint accuracy with high lethality, and operates using “fire and forget” technology to guide itself to a target.
In December 2021, India test-fired the air version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a Sukhoi 30 MK-I aircraft.
According to the Indian defense ministry, the weapon followed a pre-planned trajectory, met all mission objectives, and confirmed its integrity and functional performance.
