India, Russia set to test air-launched BrahMos

Moscow: The air-launched version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, a joint Indo-Russian programme, is close to final development and testing, according to senior Russian defence officials. They said a new takeoff engine for launching the missile in air and at extreme high altitudes had been developed.

Alexander Leonov, director of the Russian Machine Building Research and Production Centre, said: "We are ready for test launches."

The Itar-Tass news agency quoted Leonov as saying that initial test-firing of the missile would be undertaken from a Sukhoi-30 MKI. He did not specify dates.

It may be mentioned here that the India has already dispatched two Indian Air Force Su-30MKI fighters to Russia for required modification to carry the air-launched version of the BrahMos. This basically entails hardening, or strengthening, of the fuselage of the aircraft.

The BrahMos has already been inducted by the Indian Army and Navy in land attack, ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore versions. The air launched version requires modifications to be carried out to the missile itself, making it the smallest of all BrahMos versions.

The aerial version of the BrahMos will have the capability to auto-launch towards the target after being released from the aircraft.