India successfully fires Extended Range Version of Brahmos missile from Su-30 MKI

New Delhi, May 12: India on Thursday successfully fired the Extended Range Version of BrahMos Air Launched missile from Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft. The launch from the aircraft was as planned and the missile achieved a direct hit on the designated target in the Bay of Bengal region, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

It was the first launch of the Extended Range version of BrahMos missile from Su-30MKI aircraft. With this, the Indian Air Force has achieved the capability to carry out precision strikes from Su-30MKI aircraft against a land/ sea target over very long ranges, it added.

The dedicated and synergetic efforts of the IAF, Indian Navy, DRDO, BAPL and HAL have proven the capability of the nation to achieve this feat. The extended range capability of the missile coupled with the high performance of the Su-30MKI aircraft gives the IAF a strategic reach and allows it to dominate the future battlefields.

Last month, the Indian Navy successfully test-fired an advanced version of the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile from a stealth destroyer in the Indian Ocean, demonstrating its increasing strike capability.

The Navy said the missile hit its intended target with pinpoint accuracy after traversing an extended range trajectory and performing complex manoeuvres.

"The Indian Navy successfully demonstrated the accuracy of an extended-range land-attack Brahmos supersonic cruise missile from the stealth destroyer INS Chennai," the Navy said.