BrahMos missile gets clearance amid India-China border stand off

New Delhi, June 16: Amid the ongoing border standoff with China, the air-launched Brahmos had received combat clearance before the India-China troops clashed on Tuesday.

BrahMos air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) received the first ever fleet release clearance (FRC) issued by the certifying agency. The supersonic and advanced ALCM with its proven capabilities for the Indian Air Force (IAF) thereby becomes the first indigenous weapon to get the critical FRC.

According to reports, the FRC was granted to BrahMos missile on June 10 during a high-profile meeting of various stakeholders held through video conferencing.

The meeting was attended by members from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), BrahMos Aerospace, Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), Software Development Institute (SDI), IAF HQ and the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC).

The FRC for BrahMos airborne version was accorded by CEMILAC.

The BrahMos is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarine, ships, aircraft, or land. It is the fastest supersonic cruise missile in the world.

It is a joint venture between the Russian Federation's NPO Mashinostroyeniya and India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), who together have formed BrahMos Aerospace.

It is based on the Russian P-800 Oniks cruise missile and other similar sea-skimming Russian cruise missile technology. The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia. It is the world's fastest anti-ship cruise missile in operation.

The missile travels at speeds of Mach 4, which is being upgraded to Mach 5.0. The land-launched and ship-launched versions are already in service, with the air and submarine-launched versions currently in the testing phase.