Process to develop air-launched version of BrahMos missile on:Pillai

Chennai, Apr 13 (UNI) BrahMos Aerospace Managing Director and CEO A Sivathanu Pillai today said the process of developing the air-launched version of indigeneously-built supersonic cruise missile BrahMos was on.

Talking to newspersons after addressing a graduation day ceremony at Easwari Engineering College here, he said the surface-to-air missile would be inducted into Sukhoi 30 MKI and the first trial would be conducted by December 2007.

As desired by the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Aerospace department had taken up the task of developing the aircraft version of the missile and completed the technical feasibility of integrating it with Sukhoi 30 MKI.

''We have to do some developmental work for fitting the missile in the aircraft. we are working on this programme and the first trial will be completed by the end of next year,'' Dr Pillai said.

The IAF had 140 Sukhoi aircraft and the MKI variants would be fitted with BrahMos, he added.

''We are planning to try with different types of variations, manoeuering capability and different altitude,'' he said, adding a detailed plan would be worked out with the IAF.

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