Indian Air Force Successfully Test Fires BrahMos Extended Range Air Launched Missile

On December 29 2022, the Indian Air Force successfully test fired the extended range version of the BrahMos Air Launched missile which can hit targets at a range of around 400 km. It was the first launch of extended range version of BrahMos missile from Su-30MKI fighter. Carrying out a precision strike against a ship target from a Su-30 MKI aircraft in the Bay of Bengal region, the BrahMos Air Launched missile achieved the desired mission objectives. First test of the initial version of the Brahmos Air Launched Cruise Missile was conducted in 2017, making it a significant addition to the IAF’s operational capabilities from stand-off ranges.

With this, the Indian Air Force has achieved the capability to carry out precision strikes from Su-30MKI aircraft against a land/ sea target over very long ranges. The dedicated and synergetic efforts of the Indian Air Force, Indian Navy, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), BrahMos Aerospace (BAPL) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) have proven the capability of the nation to achieve this feat. The extended range capability of the missile coupled with the high performance of the Sukhoi Su-30MKI multirole air superiority fighter gives the Indian Air Force a strategic reach and allows it to dominate the future battle fields.

The BrahMos (also designated as PJ-10) is a medium-range stealth ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarine, ships, airplanes or land, notably being the fastest supersonic cruise missile in the world at the time of introducing. It is a joint-venture between the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Russian Federation’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya, who together have formed BrahMos Aerospace. It is based on the Russian P-800 Oniks supersonic anti-ship cruise missile. The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.

50 IAF SU-30MKI will be modified to carry the BrahMos-A missile, these modified Su-30MKIs will have electronic circuits capable of withstanding nuclear electromagnetic pulse. Brahmos-A can reach targets thousands of kilometres away considering the range of launch aircraft. On 20 January 2020, the IAF commissioned its first squadron of Su-30MKI fighters equipped with the BrahMos-A missile. IAF test fired BrahMos-A from Su-30MKI on 8 December 2021 and is now ready to enter mass production. Major airframe assemblies such as non-metallic air frame sections comprising Ramjet fuel tank and pneumatic fuel supply system which form the integral part of the Ramjet Engine are now locally developed.