India test-fires BrahMos supersonic cruise missile with 450km range

India today successfully test-fired an upgraded BrahMos supersonic cruise missile with an extended range of 450 km. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) tested the latest version of the cruise missile from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) Chandipur at sea in Balasore, off the Odisha coast.

The latest 450-km range version of the cruise missile was tested from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) Chandipur at sea in Balasore, off the coast of Odisha.

''The extended range BrahMos hit the target with centimetric accuracy. It's a big leg up for us and it was a fantastic test flight. With this new version, all three forces, Army, Navy and IAF will have the capability to strike deep into the enemy's territory.''

''This is the first for the world – a supersonic cruise missile with such a high range,'' the online Financial Express quoted Mishra as saying.

''BrahMos is the first beneficiary of India's MTCR membership. We have fulfilled the government's dream. The BrahMos missile is one of the most precise and accurate in the world,'' he added.

''During the launch at 1130 hrs, the land-attack version of the supersonic cruise missile system met its mission parameters in a copybook manner. It was a text book launch achieving 100 per cent results, executed with high precision from the Mobile Autonomous Launcher (MAL) deployed in full configuration,'' said BrahMos in a statement.

According to BrahMos Aerospace, ''the formidable missile system once again proved its mettle to precisely hit enemy targets at much higher range than the current range of 290 km, with supersonic speed of 2.8 Mach''.

In its previous form, BrahMos had a range of 290 km.

DRDO chief S Christopher had earlier hinted at developing a second version of the BrahMos missile that could cover a range as high as 800-850km. That would enhance India's defence capabilities significantly.