Air variant of BrahMos likely by 2013

Chennai:

An air-to-air variant of the supersonic BrahMos cruise missile would be inducted into Indian Air Force's (IAF) fleet of next-generation Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircraft by 2013, according to chief executive officer and managing director BrahMos Aerospace Dr A Sivathanu Pillai.

Speaking to reporters after the inauguration of conference on Defence Education in India 2012 at Hindustan University campus in Padur, he said work is going on to integrate the air force's Su-30MKI jet with aerial BrahMos launchers. “The new missile is ready and the launcher is required to be placed in the aircraft,” he said.

He said that modifications of air variant missile is completed and it is lighter by half a ton than the land and sea variant. “Once the launcher is placed than a sequence of tests would be done and it is expected that by next six months everything will be in place,” he added.

The solid propellant rocket is developed by Brahmos Aerospace, a joint venture between India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russian NPO Mashinostroyenia. The BrahMos is a stealth supersonic cruise missile designed for launch from land, ship, submarines and air platforms. The missile travels at a speed of Mach 2.8 and is capable of intercepting surface targets by flying as low as 10m above the ground, even in mountainous terrain and hillocks.  

Pillai said it is the only missile in the world which has maneuverable trajectory and could surprise the enemy. Currently, all the missiles have parabolic trajectory. Interestingly, the missile is the only supersonic missile, which is faster than the speed of sound. All other missiles are subsonic, which is below or lower than the speed of sound, he said.