India successfully test fires Brahmos supersonic missile
India yesterday sucessfully test-fired the land version of super-sonic cruise missile ‘BrahMos’ from Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipore off Orissa coast. The missile was test-fired at 11.34 this morning from launch complex number 3 of ITR, Chandipore as part of trials by defence forces to fine tune its capability.
According to AIR correspondent, the BrahMos-II version of super-sonic missile can be used for surgical strikes including terroist camps without making any collateral damage. It can fly at 2.8 times the speed of sound carrying conventional war heads upto 300 kg for a distance of 290 km.
The missile can effectively engage ground targets from an altitude as low as 10 meters. Though the missile is capable of being launched from multiple platforms, focus is on development of its air-launched and sub-marine launched version.
BrahMos is jointly developed with Russia and is capable of being launched from sub-marines, ships, aircrafts and land based mobile launchers. The BrahMos missile is a two-stage vehicle that has a solid propellant booster and liquid propellant rankjet system.
The first flight test of BrahMos was conducted on 12th June 2001 at ITR Chandipore off Orissa coast. The last trial of naval version of BrahMos was carried out in a vertical mode sucessfully on 21st March this year from INS Ranvir off Orissa coast.
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