BrahMos Aerospace to fund hypersonic missile project research
24 Aug 2011
Moscow: Brahmos Aerospace will fund a project aimed at developing a hypersonic missile, capable of flying at Mach 7. The project is envisaged as a partnership between the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) Bangalore and the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI).
An agreement to this effect was signed at the MAKS 2011 recently concluded, between Brahmos, MAI, the Russian Ministry of Science and Technology and the Russian partner in Brahmos, NPOM Mashinostroyenia.
Brahmos will initially advance $1 million each to IISC and MAI.
The new missile, which will fly at more than twice the speed of the existing Brahmos missile, will need new technologies in materials, electronics, guidance, propulsion and warhead all of which will be developed by the joint project.
The BrahMos is a tri-sonic cruise missile, capable of speeds of 2.8 Mach, nearly three times the speed of sound.
The agreement was signed by Brahmos CEO, Dr Shivathanu Pillai, MAI director, Prof Gerashenko Anatoly, as well as Furshenko Andrei, the minister for science and technology of the Russian Federation.