BrahMos Missile

BrahMos Missile : India Deploys World’s Fastest Supersonic Missile in “Operation Sindoor 2025”

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BrahMos Missile

BrahMos Missile : India Deploys World’s Fastest Supersonic Missile in Operation Sindoor 2025. The name “BrahMos” combines the names of two rivers: the Brahmaputra (India) and the Moskva (Russia).

Operation Sindoor targeted terrorist infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), using a range of advanced precision-strike systems. The following are among the key weapons India is believed to have used during Operation Sindoor

BrahMos Missile Overview

Introduction
BrahMos Missile , also designated as PJ-10, is a long-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile capable of being launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land-based TELs. It is a product of a joint venture between India’s DRDO and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya under BrahMos Aerospace. The missile design is based on the Russian P-800 Oniks.

Development and Capabilities

  • Launch Platforms: Land, sea, submarine, and air.
  • Speed & Range: Speeds up to Mach 3.5; original range 290 km, extended variants now reach 350–800 km.
  • Warhead: 200 kg for land/sea; 300 kg for air-launched version.
  • Altitude Envelope: Capable of flying between 5 m to 15,000 m.
  • Guidance Systems: Features a “fire-and-forget” system with Indian-developed G3OM navigation chips and optionally uses seekers for pinpoint accuracy.

Key Milestones

  • First Test: 12 June 2001 from ITR, Chandipur.
  • Service Entry: Land and sea versions are operational; air-launched variant entered service in 2019.
  • Notable Tests:
    • Vertical launch from INS Ranvir (2008).
    • Urban target test using advanced seeker (March 2009).
    • Supersonic steep-dive mode test (5 September 2010).
    • Indian seeker test (22 March 2018).
    • Extended range test (30 September 2020).

Production and Infrastructure

  • Headquarters: New Delhi (design and aerospace knowledge centre).
  • Production: Hyderabad (integration), Thiruvananthapuram (manufacturing), Pilani (new assembly line).
  • Establishment: 5 December 1995, with US$250 million authorized capital. India holds 50.5% stake, Russia 49.5%.

Variants

  1. Land-Launched & Ship-Launched:
    • In active service.
    • 360-degree engagement capability.
    • Block III can target land-based objectives.
  2. Submarine-Launched:
    • First tested on 20 March 2013 from a submerged pontoon near Visakhapatnam.
    • Can be launched from 40–50 m depth.
    • Future Indian submarines will deploy smaller BrahMos versions compatible with torpedo tubes.
  3. Air-Launched (BrahMos-A):
    • Range: 500 km.
    • Launch platform: Su-30MKI.
    • Flight Profile: Drop from 500–14,000 m, cruise at 14,000 m, terminal dive at 15 m.
    • Uses G3OM navigation system with high targeting accuracy.
    • Tested on 8 December 2021; ready for mass production.

Extended Range and MTCR Impact

  • Following India’s entry into the MTCR in 2016, the BrahMos range was increased beyond 290 km.
  • Indian Navy ordered 220 extended-range (800 km) missiles in 2024.

Next-Gen Development: BrahMos-NG

  • Also Known As: BrahMos-M, BrahMos-MA.
  • Specs:
    • Speed: Mach 3.5.
    • Range: 290 km.
    • Length: 6 m (3 m shorter), Weight: 1.5 tons (50% lighter), Diameter: 50 cm.
    • AESA radar for enhanced targeting and stealth (lower RCS).
  • Platforms:
    • Aircraft: Su-30MKI (3 missiles), MiG-29K, HAL Tejas, Rafale, Tejas Mk 2 (1 each).
    • Submarine: Compatible with new P75I class (torpedo tube/VLS launch).
  • Production & Induction:
    • First flight expected late 2024.
    • Induction by end of 2025.
    • To be manufactured in Uttar Pradesh.
    • IAF plans to procure 400 missiles worth ₹8,000 crore, to be delivered over 5 years.
Brahmos WPN System passes through the Rajpath during the full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day Parade-2016, in New Delhi on January 23, 2016.

BrahMos Missile Operational History

Indian Army

First Regiment (861 Missile Regiment)

  • Raised: 21 June 2007
  • Variant: BrahMos Block I
  • Deployment: Preceded by four successful tests, including two by Army personnel.
  • Induction: Delivered ahead of schedule in July 2008.
  • Assets: Two mobile launchers and a mobile command post.
  • Cost: $83 million for five mobile launchers.

Second Regiment

  • Commissioned: 9 November 2011
  • Variant: BrahMos Block II
  • Assets: 16 weapon systems
  • Deployment: Fully operationalised for desert warfare after a successful test on 4 March 2012 at the Pokhran Field Firing Range.

Third Regiment (344 Missile Regiment)

  • Activated: 2015
  • Variant: BrahMos Block II
  • Public Appearance: Participated in the Republic Day Parade in 2025.

Fourth Regiment

  • Approval: Cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on 3 August 2016
  • Variant: BrahMos Block III (steep-dive)
  • Deployment: Intended for the northeast region near the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
  • Cost: ₹4,300 crore (~US$730 million in 2023)
  • Assets: 100 missiles, 5 mobile autonomous launchers (12×12 trucks), and a mobile command post
  • Steep Dive Capability: Up to 75°, with plans to enhance to 90°.

Strategic Deployment

  • 2020: BrahMos Missile were deployed along with Nirbhay cruise missiles and Akash SAMs in eastern Ladakh to deter Chinese aggression at the LAC.

Future Procurement

  • March 2025: Defence Acquisition Council approved procurement of additional BrahMos-ER regiments worth ₹20,000 crore (US$2.4 billion).

Indian Air Force (IAF)

Deployment and Capabilities

  • Base: Thanjavur Air Force Station – 47 Wing
  • Squadron: No. 222 Squadron (Tigersharks)
  • Platforms: 40 Sukhoi Su-30MKIs modified to carry air-launched BrahMos (range: upgraded to 450 km, planned to exceed 800 km).
  • Future Upgrades: 84 additional aircraft to be upgraded under the Super Sukhoi programme.

Operational Use

  • 10 May 2025: First-ever combat use of BrahMos-A by the IAF; precision strikes conducted on Pakistani airbases using Su-30MKI.

Indian Navy

Fleet Integration

  • BrahMos is the primary strike missile on Indian Navy warships.
  • By 2016, ten frontline warships were equipped with BrahMos systems.
  • Missile is deployed across modern destroyers, frigates, and corvettes.

Coastal Defence

  • Contract Date: 30 March 2023
  • Procurement: Next Generation Maritime Mobile Coastal Batteries (Long Range) [NGMMCB (LR)] and BrahMos missiles
  • Value: ₹1,700 crore (US$200 million)
  • Delivery: Scheduled to begin in 2027
  • Initial Deployment: INS Trata, Mumbai
  • Assets per Battery:
    • 4 Tatra-based launch vehicles (3 missiles each)
    • Mobile command post
    • Mobile tracking radar
  • Purpose: Replace ageing P-15 Termit anti-ship missile systems.

Combat Readiness

  • During 2025 India–Pakistan Standoff: Indian Navy conducted multiple successful anti-ship missile firings in the Arabian Sea to validate the combat readiness and precision strike capability of its BrahMos Missile-equipped ships.

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