India Test Fires Brahmos Two Days In A Row

Two days after successfully testing firing Brahmos, India again on Friday test-fired the supersonic cruise missile with certain new systems from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur off Odisha coast. The supersonic missile, which has a flight range of up to 290 km, is capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 200 to 300 kg. "Today's launch was a developmental trial of the land version of Brahmos incorporating certain new systems," A Sivathanu Pillai, CEO and managing director of the Brahmos Aerospace was quoted as saying by The Press Trust of India. "We are analysing the data received from various telemetry systems that tracked the missile," Pillai said. The two-stage missile, the first one being solid and the second one ramjet liquid propellant, has already been inducted into the Army and Navy, an official was quoted as saying. While induction of the first version of the Brahmos missile system in the Indian Navy commenced from 2005 with INS Rajput, it is now fully operational with two regiments of the Army. The Defence Ministry has also given a go-ahead to the Army to induct a third regiment equipped with the missile system to be deployed in Arunachal Pradesh along the China border. Brahmos Aerospace is also working to develop the aerial as well as the submarine launch version of the missile system and work on the project is in progress.