Brahmos: world’s FASTEST supersonic cruise
missile
(missile
program of India)
·
INTRODUCTION: -
BRAHMOS IS THE SUPERSONIC CRUISE
MISSILE WITH MAXIMUM SPEED OF 3 MACH DEVELOPED BY INDIA AND RUSSIA.BRAHMOS
AEROSPACE IS THE JOINT VENTURE ESTABLISHED BETWEEN INDIAN RESEARCH ORGANISATION
DRDO (DEFENCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION) AND RUSSIAN RESEARCH ORGANISATION
NAMED NPO MASHINOSTROYENIYA.THE BRAHMOS NAMED AFTER THE HOLY RIVER OF INDIA
“BRAHMAPUTRA” (BRAH) AND RUSSIA RIVER “MOSKVA” (MOS).
THE BRAHMOS MISSLE IS THE FASTEST
ANTI-SHIP CRUISE MISSLE IN THE WORLD.IT SPEED VARIES FROM 2.6-3.0 MACH( 1MACH
=1234.8 KM/HOUR) ,WHICH CAN INCREASED UPTO 6 MACH AFTER SOME UPGRADATION
WORK.BRAHMOS AEROSPACE IS NOW WORKING TO CONVERT THE SUPERSONIC CRUISE MISILLE
TO IT’S HYPERSONIC SPEED .IT’S HYPERSONIC VERSION (BRAHMOS-II) IS UNDER IT’S
DEVELOPMENT STAGE.HYPERSONIC VERSION EXPECTED TRAILS WILL START FROM THE SECOND
QUARTER OF THE YEAR 2020.IT’S HYPERSONIC VERSION WILL BE MORE ADVANCED WITH
INTEGRATION OF DIFFERENT ENGINE ANOTHER FROM RAMJET ENGINE WHICH IS IN CURRENT
USE.AFTER INTEGRATION OF NEW ENGINE IT’S EXPECTED SPEED WILL BE AROUND 7-9
MACH.
IN MID OF YEAR 2016, INDIA GOT THE
MEMBERSHIP OF MTCR (MISSILE TECHNOLOGY CONTROL REGIME, RUSSIA AND INDIA PLANNED
TO DEVELOP A NEW GENERATION LIGHTER VERSION OF BRAHMOS MISSILE WITH A RANGE OF
600+ KMS AND TO DEVELOP ABILITY TO HIT THE TARGET WITH PIN POINT ACCURACY.
· HISTORY: -
THE BRAHMOS HAS BEEN DEVELOPED AS JOINT VENTURE BETWEEN
INDIA (DRDO) AND RUSSIA(NPOM) AS BRAHMOS AEROSPACE VIA A GOVERNMENT TO
GOVERNMENT AGREEMENT. THE COMPANY WAS ESTABLISHED IN 12, FEBRUARY,1998 WITH A
TOTAL COST OF US$250 MILLION.INDIA HOLDS 50.5%SHARE OF JOINT VENTURE AND IT’S
INITIAL FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION WAS US$126.25 MILLION, WHERE RUSSIA HOLDS 49.5%
SHARE WITH INITIAL FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION OFUS$123.75 MILLION.
AT STARTING OF YEAR 2005 ,THE MISSILE HAS UNDERGONE
SEVERAL TESTS UNDER POKHRAN TESTING RANGE SITUATED IN RAJASTHAN,INDIA
.DURING IT’S TRIALS ON JANUARY,2009 BRAHMOS FALIURE OCCUR DUE TO
GPS OFFERED BY U.S.A. AFTER ONWARDS IT’S NAVIGATION SHIFTS TO GALLELIO WHICH
WAS THE NAVIGATION PROGRAM OF RUSSIA.AFTER ONWARDS BRAHMOS WAS HITTING IT.S
TARGET WITH PRECISION AND ACCURATE READINGS.AT LATER 2005, IT’S SEA TRAILS ALSO
CONDUCTED.BRAHMOS AEROSPACE TRIVANDRUM
LTD. (BATL) IS AN INDIAN STATE-OWNED FIRM,WAS AQUIRED BY BRAHMOS CORPORATION IN
2008.APPRPOX.US223.6 MILLION WAS INVESTED TO DEVELOP BRAHMOS COMPONENTS AND
INTEGRATE THE MISSLIE SYSTEMS.THIS WAS ESTABLISHED WITH INCREASED DEMAND BY
INDIAN ARMY AND INDIAN NAVY.INITIALLY RUSSIA SUPPLIES 65% PARTS OF MISSILES.
BUT AT CURRENT STAGE INDIA IS MANUFACTURING 65% PARTS OF MISSILES ARE PLANNED
TO INCREASE IT UPTO 85% BY REPLACING IT WITH INDIAN MADE SEEKER AND
BOOSTERS.INDIA ALSO STARTED THEIR WORK FOR REPLACING IT’S ENGINE WITH THE
CURRENT RAMJET ENGINE WHICH HELPS IN MAKING THIS MISSILE FULLY INDEGENEOUS.
· CURRENT RESEARCHES: -
* FOR SURFACE TO SURFACE BRAHMOS VARIENT: -
BRAHMOS FIRST SURFACE TO SURFACE VERSION INITIAL TRAILS WAS
FIRST CONDUCTED IN THE YEAR OF 2001. THE MISSILE WAS LAUNCHED FROM ITR
CHANDIPUR. ANOTHER TEST WAS CONDUCTED FROM THE SAME TESTING RANGE FROM A MOBILE
LAUNCHER ON 14, JUNE ,2004. ON YEAR 2008, IT’S LAND VERSION WAS FIRED FROM THE DESTROYER INS RAJPUT WHICH WAS
SUCCESSFUL BY ACCOMPANING ALL THE PARAMETERS. ANOTHER VERTICAL TRAIL WAS
CONDUCTED FROM FRIGATE INS RANVIR.
ON 5, SEPTEMBER,2010 TEST OF BRAHMOS
CREATED A WORLD RECORD FOR BEING THE
FIRST CRUISE MISSILE TO BE TESTED AT A SUPERSONIC SPEEDS IN A STEEP -DIVE
MODE.THE MISSILE WAS TEST -FIRED FROM THE INTEGRATED TEST RANGE LAUNCHING
COMPLEX-3(LC-3) AT CHANDIPUR AT 11:30 AM.WITH THIS LAUNCH ,THE ARMY’S
REQURIMENTFOR LAND ATTACKS.THE NEW NAVIGATION SYSTEM USES AN INDIAN CHIP CALLED
G3OM(GPS(USA),GLONASS(RUSSIA),GAGAN(INDIA)ON A MODULE).THE SYSTEM WEIGHS AROUND
17 GRAMS ,AND GIVES ACCURACY BELOW FIVE METRES USING INDIAN,US AND RUSSIAN
SATELLITES.THE SYSTEM CAN BE USED IN TANDEM WITH AND INERTIAL NAVIGATION SYSTEM
(INS) TO PROVIDE HIGH ACCURACY TARGETING WITHOUT USING SEEKER .
*SUBMARINE LAUNCHED VARIENT: -
THE SUBMARINE LAUNCHED VARIENT OF BRAHMOS WAS TEST FIRED
SUCCESSFULLY FOR THE FIRST TIME FROM A SUBMERGED PONTOON NEAR VISHAKAPATNAM AT
THE COAST OF BAY OF BENGAL ON 20 MARCH, 2013.THIS WAS THE FIRST VERTICAL LAUNCH
OF SUPERSONIC CRUISE MISSILE FROM A SUBMERGED PLATFORM.THE MISSILE CAN BE
LAUNCHED FROM A DEPTH OF 40 TO 50 METRES (130 TO 150 FT).IN LATE JANUARY
2016,RUSSIA CONFIRMED THAT FUTURE INDIA-MADE SUBMARINES WOULD BE ARMED WITH
SMALLER VERSION OF THE MISSILE THAT COULD BE FITTED INTO TORPEDO TUBE.
* BRAHMOS – A:
-
THE BRAHMOS-A VARIENT IS MODIFIED AIR-LAUNCHED VARIENT OF
THE MISSILE WITH RANGE OF 400 KMS WHICH CAN BE LAUNCHED FROM SU- 30MKI AS
STANDOFF WEAPON.TO REDUCE THE WEAPON WEIGHT TO 2.55 TONS ,MANY MODIFICATIONS
WERE MADE LIKE USING SMALLER BOOSTERS ,ADDING FINS FOR AIRBONE STABILITY AFTER
LAUNCH,AND RELOCATING THE CONNECTOR.IT CAN BE RELEASED FROM THE HEIGHT OF 500
-14000 METRES.AFTER RELEASE ,THE MISSILES FREE FALLS FOR 100-150 METRES ,THEN GOES
INTO A CRUISE PHASE AT 14,000 METRES AND FINALLY THE TERMINAL PHASE AT 15
METRES. BRAHMOS AEROSPACE PLANNED TO DELIVER THE MISSILES TO IAF TILL THE END
OF YEAR 2015,WHERE IT EXPECTED TO ARMED AT LEAST 3 SQUADRONS.AS SU-30MKI IS
CAPABLE FOR CARRYING ONLY ONE OF THE BRAHMOS-A MISSILE.THE AIR LAUNCHED VERSION
FOR THE IAF WAS READY TILL 2008.ON 22 OCTOBER,2008 ,M.D OF BRAHMOS AEROSPACE
ANNOUNCED THAT TRAILS AND TEST WOULD BE CARRIED OUT BY 2011,AND IAF WOULD GET
IT’S OWN VERSION OF BRAHMOS BY 2012.
ON 10 JANUARY,2009, IT WAS REPORTED THAT OF THE IAF SU-30MKI
WAS SENT TO RUSSIA FOR GET FITTED TO ENABLE THE TESTING AND LAUNCHING PROGRAM
OF THE BRAHMOS AIR VARIENT.
THE PURCHASE OF 200 AIR-LAUNCHED BRAHMOS SUPERSONIC CRUISE
MISSILE FOR THE IAF WAS CLEARED BY CABINET COMMITTEE ON SECURITY(CCS) ON 19
OCTOBER 2012,AT THE COST OF 60 BILLION (US$894 MILLION).THIS WOULD INCLUDE
FUNDS FOR INTEGRATION AND TESTING OF THE BRAHMOS ON SU-30MKI OF THE IAF.AS PER
THE PLAN,THE FIRST TEST OF AIR -LAUNCHED VERSION OF THE MISSILE WAS TO BE
CONDUCTED BY THE END OF DECEMBER,2012.TO SU-30MKI OF THE IAF WOULD BE MODIFIED
BY THE HAL AT IT’S NASIK FACILITY WHERE THEY WILL BE INTEGRATED WITH THE
MISSILE FOR THE TESTING WITH THE AERIAL
MISSILE LAUNCHERS.
DEMONSTRATION FLIGHT CARRIED BY HAL (HINDUSTAN AERONAUTICS
LIMITED) NASIK ON JULY,25,2016 AS A MODIFIED SU-30MKI CARRYING BRAHMOS-A
MISSILE UNDERWENT A SUCCESSFUL TRAIL FLIGHT,THE FIRST TIME HEAVY WEIGHT
SUPERSONIC CRUISE MISSILE WAS INTEGRATED IN THE FIGHTER ,THE PROJECT TO ADAPT
THE WEAPON FOR AIR LAUNCH WAS CLEARED IN 2011,BUT WAS BOGGED DOWN DUE TO
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHT CONCERNS .ON
22,NOVEMBER2017,THE MISSILE WAS SUCCESSFULLY TESTED FOR THE FIRST TIME FROM THE
SU-30MKIAGAINSTA SEA BASED TARGET IN BAY OF BENGAL.40 IAF SU-30MKI ARE TO
EQUIPPED TO CARRY THE MISSILE .THE MAJOR DRAWBACK FOR INTEGRATING THE BRAHMOS
MISSILE WAS THAT IT MAKES QUIET DIFFICULT FOR THE PILOT TO LAND BACK SAFELY TO
THEIR RESPECTIVE STATIONS.
*SPECIFICATIONS: -
BRAHMOS HAS CAPABILITY OF ATTACKING SURCFACE, AERIAL AS WELL
AS UNDER WATER TARGETS.BRAHMOS CLAIMS THAT FOR IT’S GROUND VERSION AT CAN
ATTACK SURFACE TARGETS BY FLYING AS LOW AS 5 METRES IN ALTITIUDE AND
MAX.ALTITUDE IT CAN FLY IS 14000 METRES.IT HAS A DIAMETER OF 70 CMAND A
WINGSPAN OF 1.7M.IT CAN GAIN SPEED UPTO MACH 3.0 WHICH MAKES IT WORLD’S FASTEST
SUPERSONIC CRUISE MISSILE.IT HAS MAXIMUM RANGE OF 290KM.THE SHIP -LAUNCHED AND
LAND-LAUNCHED MISSILES CAN CARRY A 200KG
WARHEAD ,WHEREAS THE AERIAL VERSION BRAHMOS-A CARRIES 300KY OF WARHEAD.IT HAS
TWO STAGE PROPULSION SYSTEM ,WITH SOLID PROPELLANT ROCKET FOR INITAIL
ACCELERATION AND ALIQUID FILLED RAMJET
RESPONSIBLE FOR SUSTAINED SUPERSONIC CRUISE.AERIAL VARIENT OF THE BRAHMOS
SYSTEM IS MORE FUEL EFFICIENT THAN ROCKET PROPULSION ,GIVING BRAHMOS A LONGER
RANGE THAN A PURE ROCKET-POWERED MISSILEWOULD ARCHIEVE
* BRAHMOS VARIENTS:
-
Ø SURFACE - LAUNCHED,
BLOCK I
·
SHIP-LAUNCHED, ANTI-SHIP VARIENT(OPERATIONAL)
·
SHIP-LAUNCHED, LAND-ATTACK VARIENT(OPERATIONAL)
·
LAND-LAUNCHED, LAND-ATTACK VARIENT (OPERATIONAL)
·
LAND-LAUNCHED, ANTI-SHIP VARIENT(OPERATIONAL)
Ø SURFACE -LAUCHED, UPGRADED VARIENTS
·
BRAHMOS BLOCK II LAND-ATTACK
VARIENT(OPERATIONAL)
·
BRAHMOS BLOCK III LAND-VARIENT (INDUCTED)
·
ANTI-AIRCRAFT VARIENT (TESTED IN MARCH 2012).
THE MISSILE GAINED CAPABILITY TO ATTACK AIRCRAFT CARRIERS USING SUPERSONIC
VERTICAL DIVE VARIENT OF MISSILE THAT COULD TRAVEL UPTO 290 KMS.
Ø AIR-LAUNCHED VERSION
·
AIR-LAUNCHED, ANTI-SHIP VARIENT (TESTED)
·
AIR-LAUNCHED, LAND-ATTACK VARIENT(TESTED)
Ø SUBMARINE – LAUNCHED VARIENT
·
SUBMARINE- LAUNCHED, ANTI-SHIP VARIENT-TESTED
SUCCESSFULLY FOR THE FIRST TIME SUBMERGED PONTOON ON 20 MARCH 2013.
(OPERATIONAL)
·
SUBMARINE-LAUNCHED, LAND-ATTACK
VARIENT(OPERATIONAL)
*
PRODUCTION AND DEPLOYMENT: -
INDIA AND RUSSIA INTEND TO MAKE 2,000 BRAHMOS SUPERSONIC
CRUISE MISSILES OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS THROUGHTHEIR JOINT VENTURE COMPANY, AND
NEARLY 50% OF THE MISSILES ARE EXPORTED TO THEIR FRIENDLY COUNTRIES.THE BRAHMOS
HEAD QUARTERS ARE COMPLEX IS LOCATED IN NEW DELHI AND CONSISTS OF A DESIGN
CENTRE AND AEROSPACE KNOWLEDGE CENTRE.THE INTEGRATION CENTRE IS LOCATED AT
HYDERABAD AND A PRODUCTION CENTRE IS LOCATED AT THIRUVANANTHAPURAM.ANOTHER
ASSEMBLING LINE IS ESTABLISHED IN PILANI.
CURRENTLY INDIAN NAVY, INDIAN ARMY, RUSSIAN NAVY, RUSSIAN
AIRFORCE ARE CURRENT USERS OF THE BRAHMOS MISSILES.
*EXPORT: -
SEVERAL COUNTRIES ,INCLUDING THE PHILIPPINES,VIETNAM,SOUTH
AFRICA ,EGYPT,OMAN AND BRUNEI HAVE EXPRESSED INTEREST IN BUYING THIS BRAHMOS
MISSILE SYSTEM.IN FEBURARY 2010, A SENIOR EXECUTIVE SAID THAT BRAHMOS IS
NEGOTATIONS WITH CHILE,BRAZIL,SOUTH AFRICA AND INDONESIA REGARDING PURCHASE OF
MISSILES .MALAYSIA IS ALSO REPORTED TO PURCHASE MISSILES FOR INTEGRATING IN
THEIR WARSHIPS AND FIGHTER JETS.INFORMAL
NEGOTATIONS ARE ALSO ONGOING BETWEEN INDIA AND VIETNAM FOR PRICE
NEGOSATION.BRAHMOS AEROSPACE HAS SAID THAT SEVERAL SOUTHEAST ASIAN AND LATIN
AMERICAN COUNTRIES HAVE EXPRESSED INTEREST IN THE SYSTEM,WITH PARTICULAR
INTEREST IN NAVAL COAST DEFENSE VERSIONS ,AND THAT A ‘DEFINITE LIST COUNTRIES
‘EXIST.ON 20,APRIL,2016 ,BRAHMOS AEROSPACE SPOKEMAN PRAVEEN PATHAK SAID THE
FIRST EXPORT CONTRACT ON DELIVERING BRAHMOS TO COUNTRY IN THE ASIAN-PACIFIC
NATION WOULD BE FRIENDLY NATION THAT NEITHER RUSSIA NOR INDIA HAS ANY CONFLICTS
WITH.
ONE OF THE MAJOR ISSUES REGARDING SALES OF THE MISSILES IS
THAT THE NATIONS LOOKING TO BUY MAY HAVE STRESSFUL RELATIONS WITH ALLIES AND
TRADING PARTNERS OF RUSSIA .CHINA IS THE ONE OF THE MAIN NATION THAT HAS
OBJECTIONS ABOUT IT’S NEIGHBOURS GETTING THESE MISSILES FOR THEIR NAVIES.IN
RECENT YEARS,EXPORT OF BRAHMOS TO VIETNAM HAS PICKED UP PACE WITH PLANS AND
NEGOTIATIONS REACHING A POSSIBLE CONCLUSION IN MID OF 2016.THE ONLY OBJECTION
COULD BR FROM CHINA ,WHICH SEES THE SELLING OF THESE MISSILES TO VIETNAM AS ACT
OF BELLIGERENCE AND INTERFERENCE IN SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE.THIS MAKES VIETNAM
POWERFUL AND DOMINANT.
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