Indian Su-30MKI Jet Fires BrahMos Extended Range Missile against Ship Target

Indian Air Force (IAF) today fired the Extended Range (ER) version of BrahMos air-launched supersonic cruise missile against a ship target from a Su-30MKI fighter jet.

This version of the BrahMos has a range of 400km.

The missile achieved the desired mission objectives in the Bay of Bengal region, Indian defense ministry said in a statement today.

With this, IAF said it achieved a capability boost to carry out precision strikes from Su-30MKI aircraft against land/ sea targets over very long ranges.

BrahMos is a joint venture between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya. The missile derives its name from Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers. The missile is capable of being launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air against surface and sea-based targets and has been long inducted by the Indian military.

The current BrahMos air-launched missile weighs 2.65 tons, which will come down to 1.33 tons with the BrahMos-NG (Next Generation) that is under development. With this a Su-30MKI will be able to carry up to four BrahMos-NG missiles, while the Light Combat Aircraft will be able to carry two missiles.