India on Monday tested the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the Odisha coast to validate some features based on new technologies.
BrahMos is the world’s fastest supersonic missile, which can fly at almost three times the speed of sound. The guided cruise missile is being developed jointly by India and Russia, and is named after two rivers – India’s Brahmaputra and Russia’s Moskva.
The missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher at the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur near Balasore at 10.40 am, Defence Research and Development Organisation officials said.
The trial was conducted to validate the “life extension technologies developed for the first time in India”, the Ministry of Defence said. The successful test will help save huge replacement costs of missiles held in the inventory of the Indian Armed Forces, it added.
The successful test of the ‘life extension’ technology indicates that the Indian Armed Forces would be able to make huge savings in the replacement costs of missiles currently in the inventory of the armed forces.
Variants of the supersonic missile can be launched from land, air, sea and underwater, out of which the land and naval variants of the missiles are already in service.
Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman congratulated Team Brahmos and DRDO for the successful launch.
“Smt Nirmala Sitharaman congratulates Team Brahmos and DRDOa for successful flight test carried out at 1040 hrs on 21 May 2018 from ITR, Balasore to validate BRAHMOS missile life extension technologies developed for the first time in India,” the Ministry of Defence said in a tweet.
Smt @nsitharaman congratulates Team Brahmos & @DRDO_India for successful flight test carried out at 1040 hrs on 21 May 2018 from ITR, Balasore to validate BRAHMOS missile life extension technologies developed for the first time in India. 1/2
— Raksha Mantri (@DefenceMinIndia) May 21, 2018
ALSO READ : The Moon will get 4G coverage next year
