India successfully conducted the inaugural launch of the Extended Range Version of the BrahMos Air-Launched missile on Thursday. The missile, launched from the Indian Air Force’s Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter, achieved a precise hit on a target situated in the Bay of Bengal.
While the Air-Launched version of the BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile has undergone multiple recent tests, this launch marked the debut of the Extended Range Version. This upgraded version boasts the capability to strike targets up to 350 kilometers away, compared to the initial version’s range of around 290 kilometers.
The Ministry of Defence issued a statement confirming the success of the planned launch, emphasizing that it was the first Extended Range launch from a Su-30MKI aircraft. The Indian Air Force (IAF) now possesses the capability to execute precision strikes from Sukhoi-30MKI aircraft against distant land or sea targets. The collaborative efforts of the IAF, Indian Navy, DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation), BAPL (BrahMos Aerospace Private Ltd), and HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd) were acknowledged in achieving this milestone. The extended range, combined with the high performance of the Sukhoi-30MKI aircraft, enhances the IAF’s strategic reach and dominance on future battlefields.
The BrahMos Air-Launched Cruise Missile was initially tested in 2017, representing a significant enhancement to the IAF’s operational capabilities at stand-off ranges. Stand-off range missiles are launched from a distance that allows the attacking party to evade defensive fire from the target area. In the case of firing BrahMos from the Sukhoi-30 MKI, the missile is gravity-dropped from the fighter jet’s fuselage, and its two-stage engine is then activated, propelling it toward the intended sea target.
BrahMos holds the distinction of being the heaviest weapon deployed on India’s Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft, which has been modified by HAL to accommodate these advanced weapon systems. The BrahMos missiles, named after the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers (in Russia), are designed, developed, and produced by BrahMos Aerospace—a joint venture between DRDO and Russia’s Mashinostroyenia.
