BrahMos-II
BrahMos-II or BrahMos-2 or BrahMos Mark II (note: Not to be confused with the BrahMos block II) is a hypersonic cruise missile currently under joint development by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyenia, which have together formed BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited. It is the second of the BrahMos series of cruise missiles. The BrahMos-II is expected to have a range of 1,500 kilometres (930 mi; 810 nmi) and a speed of Mach 8. During the cruise stage of flight the missile will be propelled by a scramjet airbreathing jet engine. Other details, including production cost and physical dimensions of the missile, are yet to be published.
| BrahMos-II | |
|---|---|
A scaled down model of Brahmos-II at Aero India 2013 | |
| Type | Hypersonic Cruise missile Air-launched cruise missile Anti-ship missile Land-attack missile Surface-to-surface missile |
| Place of origin |
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| Production history | |
| Designer | Defence Research and Development Organisation NPO Mashinostroyenia |
| Manufacturer | BrahMos Aerospace Limited |
| Unit cost | $5.6 million |
| Specifications | |
| Engine | Scramjet |
Operational range | 1,500 km (930 mi) |
| Maximum speed | Mach 8 (9,800 km/h; 6,100 mph; 2,700 m/s) |
Launch platform | Ship, submarine, aircraft and land-based mobile launchers. |
The planned operational range of the BrahMos-II had initially been restricted to 290 kilometres as Russia is a signatory to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), which prohibits it from helping other countries develop missiles with ranges above 300 kilometres (190 mi; 160 nmi). However, subsequent to India becoming a MTCR signatory in 2014, the parameters for Brahmos 2 will get enhanced. Its top speed will be double that of the current BrahMos-I, and it has been described as the fastest cruise missile in the world.
Testing was planned to start in 2020, but has been delayed.
Fourth-generation multi-purpose Russian Naval destroyers (Project 21956) are also likely to be equipped with the BrahMos II.
BrahMos Aerospace named the missile BrahMos-II (K) in honour of the former President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam.
The CEO of the joint Indo-Russian BrahMos programme, Atul Rane, stated in 2022, a future BrahMos-II will likely have similar characteristics to the 3M22 Zircon.
According to a report published on 1 April 2023, India has requested Russia to transfer the technology of Russian 3M22 Zircon hypersonic cruise missile on which the BrahMos-II (K) will be based, to which Russia has reportedly agreed But due to some reasons, such as the relations between Russia and China, and because this missile gives India air superiority in the sea, it has not yet transferred this technology.