BrahMos Missile to Enter Service in Indian Air Forces in 2016

Sputnik News

13:26 18.03.2015(updated 13:37 18.03.2015)

A further 10 tests will be conducted by the end of the year. In May, a test flight with the launching system for the missile will be held.

The Indian Air Forces plans to adopt the new BrahMos cruise missile, which can be launched from aircraft, in 2016, Sudhir Mishra, managing director for Russian-Indian joint venture Brahmos Aerospace Ltd, told RIA Novosti.

In February, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) handed over a license to BrahMos to use the upgraded Su-30MKI aircraft for testing the missile.

'According to the schedule, the missile is expected to enter service in 2016. A further 10 tests will be conducted by the end of the year. In May, a test flight with the launching system for the missile will be conducted,' Mishra said.

Then, test flights with the missile and mockup and missile launches will be held, according to him.

BrahMos-A is a short-range supersonic cruise missile based on the Russian P-800 Oniks prototype. It can be launched from submarines, ships, aircrafts and land and travels at speed of Mach 3. The missile weighs about 2.5 tons is over 8.5 meters in length.

The missile is a product of the Russian-Indian cooperation in weapon development. It was designed by Russian-Indian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace. The navy-based version of the missile entered service in the Indian Armed Forces in 2016.

Russian and India are major partners in the field of military and technical cooperation. Over 70 percent of weapons and equipment in the Indian Armed Forces are of Russian and Soviet production.

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