An extended range sea-to-sea variant of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was test fired on Tuesday from the recently commissioned stealth guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam.
“Advanced sea-to-sea variant of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was tested from INS Visakhapatnam today. Missile hit the designated target ship precisely,” the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said.
The successful test-firing certifies the accuracy of the ship’s combat system and armament complex and also validates a new capability the missile provides the Navy and the nation, the Navy said. “Augurs very well for Aatma Nirbhar Bharat and provides the Navy yet another shot in the arm,” it added.
Mission readiness
Congratulating scientists on the successful test firing, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on social media, “The robustness of Indian Navy mission readiness is reconfirmed today after successful launch of the advanced version of BrahMos Missile from INS Vishakhapatnam today.”
BrahMos is joint collaboration between India and Russia and is capable of being launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air against surface and sea-based targets, with a range capped at 290 km initially.
The range of the missile was originally capped at 290 km as per obligations of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). Following India’s entry into the club in June 2016, officials said the range would be extended to 450 km and to 600km at a later stage. An extended range missile had been tested earlier.
INS Visakhapatnam, with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes, is the first of four ingenuously designed and built Project-15B class stealth guided missile destroyers and was commissioned in November 2021.
