India’s fire power gets a boost with successful launch of anti-ship version of BrahMos missile from Navy ship

The BrahMos supersonic missile test was carried out from a Kolkata-class guided missile destroyer warship.

In a major shot in the arm to India's missile strike capabilities, the Indian Navy on Sunday successfully test-fired in the Arabian Sea the ship-launched version of the BrahMos supersonic missile.

The missile that was tested had the indigenous ''seeker and booster', officials said.

''The Indian Navy carried out a successful precision strike in the Arabian Sea by ship launched BrahMos missile with DRDO-designed indigenous seeker and booster, reinforcing our commitment towards Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) in defence,'' said a senior military official.

''The missile test was carried out from a Kolkata-class guided missile destroyer warship. BrahMos Aerospace is continuously working on increasing indigenous content in the missile,'' Indian navy officials said.

BrahMos: The next game-changer

BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd, an India-Russian joint venture, produces supersonic cruise missiles that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms. BrahMos missile flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach or almost three times the speed of sound. The name BrahMos is a combination of the names of Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers.

With BrahMos, India's name has been added to the prestigious list of handful countries that have developed advanced missile systems and aerospace inventions such as the technology which would enable the re-entry of ballistic missiles.

How will BrahMos missiles add more firepower to the Indian Navy

• It provides 3 times more velocity as compared to any other subsonic cruise missile in the world BrahMos' flight range is 2.5 to 3 times more than other missiles
• The quality that makes it the most advanced missile in the market today is its ability to produce 9 times more kinetic energy which provides it with enhanced destructive power
• It comes in the universal missile range category which rules out all launching limitations. It is capable to be launched from land, sea, sub-sea, or even air.

The anti-ship version of the supersonic cruise missile was successfully test-fired jointly by the Indian Navy and the Andaman and Nicobar Command in April last year.

India is also exporting BrahMos missiles.

In January last year, India sealed a USD 375 million deal with the Philippines for supplying three batteries of the missile.

The development comes as India has been upgrading its navy muscle power in the backdrop of Chinese threats in the Indian Ocean.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had last year inducted India's first indigenous aircraft carrier - INS Vikrant - into the naval force. With its rising profile in the neighourhood and amid the choppy water s of the Indo Pacific, India needs to ensure it has a strong navy to project power over the important maritime area.