BrahMos cruise missile for IAF to be ready by next year

Chennai, Jan 30 (PTI) BrahMos, the supersonic cruisemissile for the Indian Air Force, would be ready by next year,a top official said today.

"BrahMos will be ready for the IAF by next year and thesupersonic missile is nine times faster than other missiles inthe world", BrahMos Aerospace Chief Executive and ManagingDirector A Sivathanu Pillai told reporters here.

On the development of the hypersonic missile that wouldtravel seven times more than the sound, he said the basictechnology was being developed. "It will take at least sixyears", he said.

The BrahMos Aerospace would also manufacture cryogenicengine for Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). "Oncethe technology gets ready (by ISRO), we will begin doing theengines for them,", Pillai said.

The ISRO was in the process of developing cryogenicengine to power its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicles,he said.

ISRO''s Kerala unit was already in the process of makingliquid fuels that would power engines, he said.

BrahMos Aerospace is the brain child of former PresidentA P J Abdul Kalam. It is the joint venture company betweenIndia''s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)and Russia''s NPO Mashinostroyenia. The aim of the partnershipis to design, develop, manufacture and market supersoniccruise missile system.