BrahMos Supersonic Missile To Demonstrate Vertical Dive Capability Next Year

Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic missile will test a near vertical dive and surround capability within a year, The Hindu reported today.

The Block –III variant of BrahMos has perfected a surgical strike capability and will further demonstrate vertical dive capability which will allow the Army to inventively approach their operational plans.

 “We want to demonstrate a ‘near vertical dive and surround’ capability to take the enemy by surprise. While radars do not have 360 degree coverage in the mountains, we would like to show the missile taking a turn in the horizontal axis and decimating the target around the hill. We hope to do this in a year’s time,” the newspaper quoted Sudhir Mishra, chief executive officer and managing director of the company as saying.

A decoy BraMos would be test-dropped from a modified Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter early next year. The actual missile will be test fired by March, he said.

The hypersonic version of the missile is at an early stage of design.

“A preliminary design is being done in the lab and the complete missile may take nearly five years to fructify. But we are at it, nevertheless,” said Mishra.

“It is a complex thing to develop, given the fact that as we overshoot the sound of speed, a lot of aerodynamic changes take place. We need new material, as stability and heat-resistance of the missile at these speeds are extremely important. How the propellant behaves at these speeds is a critical question. The avionics has to be properly secured to withstand high temperatures. Data-linking is another key area.” he added.