Missile Drop Test From Su-30MKI Aircraft In August

BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited has plans of conducting a missile drop test from Su-30MKI jet this month.

"Recently, test flights were conducted with a Su-30 fighter fitted with a missile launching platform. The idea was to assess if there was any change in the aerodynamics or stability of the aircraft after it flew with the launch pad," Major General Achyut Deo, general manager of BrahMos' Nagpur unit, told TOI. The test was successful.

"As a next step, a drop test will be conducted this month. This means a dummy missile will be fixed on the launch pad and dropped from the aircraft. This will be done to assess the impact on the aircraft once a 2.5-tonne missile is dropped. A real missile takes off after it is dropped from an aircraft. Here, a dummy will be used just to assess the impact of the drop," said Deo.

If successful, the forces will also be able to fire BrahMos which has a range of 290 kms from the air. "Recently, a steep dive test of the missile was conducted and it proved successful. The missile landed within a range of 10 meters of the targeted area," he said.

BrahMos Aerospace is also working on a smaller version of the missile. "Termed Mini BrahMos, it will be half the weight of the present missile but with more speed. The size will also be reduced," Deo said. "This is a part of an independent research by the company to explore if a missile with smaller size can be as effective too. The cost of production will also come down considerably with the size," Deo added.