BrahMos
The BrahMos (also designated as PJ-10) is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be Launched from Submarines, Ships, Fighter Aircraft or TEL. It is a joint-venture between the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Russian Federation's NPO Mashinostroyeniya, who together have formed BrahMos Aerospace. The missile is based on P-800 Oniks. The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.
| BrahMos | |
|---|---|
BrahMos fired from land based mobile launcher | |
| Type | Cruise missile Air-launched cruise missile Anti-ship missile Land-attack missile Surface-to-surface missile Submarine-launched cruise missile |
| Place of origin | India Russia |
| Service history | |
| In service | November 2005 |
| Used by | Indian Army Indian Navy Indian Air Force Philippine Marine Corps (on order) |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Defence Research and Development Organisation, NPO Mashinostroyeniya |
| Manufacturer | BrahMos Aerospace Limited |
| Unit cost | BrahMos: US$ 3.5 million BrahMos-ER: US$ 4.85 million |
| Variants | Ship-launched Land-launched Submarine-launched Air-launched BrahMos-ER BrahMos-NG BrahMos-II |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | BrahMos: 3,000 kg (6,600 lb) BrahMos-A: 2,500 kg (5,500 lb) BrahMos-NG: 1,200–1,500 kg (2,600–3,300 lb) |
| Length | BrahMos: 8.4 m (28 ft) BrahMos-NG: 6 m (20 ft) |
| Diameter | BrahMos: 0.6 m (2.0 ft) BrahMos-NG: 0.5 m (1.6 ft) |
| Warhead | 200–300 kg (440–660 lb) nuclear conventional semi-armour-piercing warhead |
| Engine | 1st Stage: Solid rocket booster [EEL] 2nd Stage: Liquid rocket ramjet [NPO] |
| Propellant | 1st Stage: Solid fuel 2nd Stage: Liquid fuel |
Operational range | Ship platform: >500 km (310 mi)
Land platform: >500 km (310 mi) Air platform: 450–500 km (280–310 mi) Export: 290 km (180 mi) |
| Flight ceiling | 15 km (49,000 ft) |
| Flight altitude | Sea skimming, as low as 3—4 meters |
| Maximum speed | Mach 3 |
Guidance system | Mid-course: INS + SatNav Terminal: Active radar homing |
| Accuracy | 1 m CEP |
Launch platform | |
The Land-Launched and ship-Launched Versions are already in service. an Air-launched Variant of BrahMos which can be fired from the Su-30MKI appeared in 2012 and entered service in 2019.
The missile guidance has been Developed by BrahMos Aerospace.
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 range and an ability to hit protected targets with pinpoint accuracy. Plans are to eventually upgrade all Missiles to a range of 1,500 km.
The CEO of the joint Indo-Russian BrahMos programme, Atul Rane, stated in 2022, a future hypersonic missile, to be called the BrahMos-II, will likely be developed from and have similar characteristics to the 3M22 Zircon.