BrahMos installation test flight in Baltic Sea

[RPK]

The Hindu : Front Page : BrahMos installation test flight in Baltic Sea

BrahMos installation test flight in Baltic Sea



T.S. Subramanian



Launcher transported to Kaliningrad and fitted into frigate









Russian National Security Adviser Nikolai Patroshev (left) with A. Sivathanu Pillai, Managing Director of BrahMos Aerospace Limited, at the BrahMos Complex in New Delhi on Tuesday. - PHOTO COURTESY: BRAHMOS AEROSPACE


CHENNAI: An installation test flight of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is scheduled to take place this year in the Baltic Sea from a stealth frigate being built for the Indian Navy at Kaliningrad in Russia, A. Sivathanu Pillai, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, BrahMos Aerospace Limited, said on Tuesday.

The missile's vertical launcher and fire control system, made in India, was transported to Kaliningrad and fitted into the stealth frigate, a Talwar-class ship.

Dr. Pillai disclosed this when Russian National Security Advisor Nikolai Patroshev, along with Ambassador Alexander Kadakin, visited the BrahMos Complex in New Delhi.

The BrahMos missile is a joint product of India and Russia and it has already been inducted into the Indian Navy and Army.

Patroshev is all praise

Mr. Patroshev, who is leading a high-level delegation, lauded the development of the BrahMos as a remarkable achievement made in a short time. "The joint venture BrahMos is a bright illustration of the successful work of the Russian and Indian scientists and designers. It is based on the highest trust."

Mr. Kadakin said the best brains of the two countries coming together made the system highly advanced and reliable.

Dr. Pillai gave an account of the progress made by the joint venture in the last 10 years and the possible areas for future collaboration. The Russian delegation's visit would further encourage the joint venture, he said.

Three Talwar-class ships to be built for the Indian Navy by Russia would have Brah- Mos missiles.

There are four versions of BrahMos now: sea-to-sea; sea-to-land; land-to-sea; and land-to-land. Work on launching the cruise missile from submarines and aircraft was in progress, Dr. Pillai said.

Impossible to intercept K.V. Prasad reports from New Delhi:

Established in 1998, Brah- Mos Aerospace, produces and markets the BrahMos supersonic missiles. Known as BrahMos Block-2, the missile has a top speed of over Mach 5, making it virtually impossible to intercept, and it can effectively engage even slightly visible ground targets. It has been designed primarily to meet the needs of the Army.

"Army officials said they were pleased with last year's ground trials of the missile, and approved putting it into service," Russian news agency Ria-Novosti said, quoting Dr. Pillai.

The company has also been working on another version of the missile, BrahMos-A for the Air Force. The IAF selected the multirole fighter Sukhoi- MKI as the platform for trials scheduled for next year and targets fitment in 2012. Modifications to Su-30 MKI for integration with the BrahMos-A missile system are being carried out by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Russia's Sukhoi Design Bureau.

 

[navtrek]

India to buy more BrahMos missiles

India has plans to introduce into its armed forces the new BrahMos missile, the head of the BrahMos Aerospace company, Sivathanu Pillai, told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.

Established in 1998, BrahMos Aerospace, a joint Indian-Russian venture, produces and markets BrahMos supersonic missiles. The sea-based and land-based versions have been successfully tested and put into service with the Indian Army and Navy.

Earlier on Tuesday, Russia's security chief, Nikolai Patrushev, visited the BrahMos headquarters in New Delhi. BrahMos is an acronym for the cities of Brahmaputra and Moscow.

The missile, known as BrahMos Block-2, can have a top speed of over Mach 5, which could make it virtually impossible to intercept, and can effectively engage even slightly visible ground targets. It has been designed primarily to meet the needs of the army.

"The army officials said they were pleased with last year's ground trials of the missile, and approved of putting it into service," Pillai said.

The company has also been developing another version of the missile for Air Force, the BrahMos-A missile, with a reduced mass and increased aerodynamic stability. The Indian Air Force chose the Russian-made SU-30 MKI Flanker-H multirole fighter as the trial platform for the missile.

"[This] version of the missile is now ready. Air trials will commence in 2011, and by 2012, we are planning to fit the missiles onto aircraft," Pillai said.

The required modifications of the SU-30 MKI for integration with the BrahMos-A missile system are being carried out by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia's Sukhoi Design Bureau.

Analysts estimate that India could purchase up to 1,000 BrahMos missiles for its armed forces in the next decade, and export some 500 to other countries during the same period.

NEW DELHI, February 2 (RIA Novosti)

India to buy more BrahMos missiles | Top Russian news and analysis online | 'RIA Novosti' newswire

 

[navtrek]

Indian Army Demands More Missile Regiments


January 26, 2010: The Indian Army is trying to get the government to buy it two more regiments of BrahMos block II missiles. Each regiment would have 61 missiles, 12-24 mobile launchers and two mobile control centers. The new regiments would have a more advanced version of the missile than the existing BrahMos block I regiment (with five mobile launchers). The first regiment cost $83 million. The block II missiles are more accurate and reliable at hitting pinpoint targets (like headquarters or technical installations) in crowded urban environments.

A year ago, the BrahMos block II cruise missile failed its first operational test as a ground launched weapon. The cause was a defective guidance system, which was fixed.

Two years ago, India ordered 800 more of the new PJ-10 BrahMos missiles. The Indian Army plans to buy 80 launchers in the next ten years. Russia has not yet ordered any BrahMos, while India is also working on lighter versions for use by aircraft and submarines. The 3.2 ton BrahMos has a range of 300 kilometers and a 660 pound warhead. Perhaps the most striking characteristic is its high speed, literally faster (at up to 3,000 feet per second) than a rifle bullet. Guidance is GPS or inertial to reach the general area of the target (usually a ship or other small target), then radar that will identify the specific target and hit it. The warhead weighs 660 pounds, and the high speed at impact causes additional damage (because of the weight of the entire missile.)

India and Russia developed the weapon together, and now offer the BrahMos for export. The high price of each missile, about $2-3 million (depending on the version), restricts the number of countries that can afford it. The weapon entered service with the Indian navy in 2005. Different versions of the PJ-10 can be fired from aircraft, ships, ground launchers or submarines. The maximum speed of 3,000 kilometers an hour makes it harder to intercept, and means it takes five minutes or less to reach its target. The air launched version weighs 2.5 tons, the others, three tons or more.

The 9.4 meter (29 foot) long, 670mm diameter missile is an upgraded version of the Russian SS-NX-26 (Yakhont) missile, which was still in development when the Cold War ended in 1991. Lacking money to finish development and begin production, the Russian manufacturer eventually made a deal with India to finish the job. India put up most of the $240 million needed to finally complete two decades of development. The PJ-10 is being built in Russia and India, with the Russians assisting India in setting up manufacturing facilities for cruise missile components. Efforts are being made to export up to 2,000, but no one has placed an order yet. Russia and India are encouraged enough to invest in BrahMos 2, which will use a scramjet, instead of a ramjet, in the second stage. This would double speed, and make the missile much more difficult to defend against.

India indicates it plans to make the missile a major weapon system. The BrahMos can carry a nuclear warhead, but is designed mainly to go after high value targets that require a large warhead and great accuracy. The BrahMos could take out enemy headquarters, or key weapons systems (especially those employing electronic or nuclear weapons.)

Artillery: Indian Army Demands More Missile Regiments

 

[navtrek]

'BrahMos a bright illustration of bilateral ties'

Reviewing the progress of the BrahMos missile, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev today termed the joint venture as a "bright illustration" of cooperation between the two countries.

"The JV BrahMos is a bright illustration of successful work of Russian and Indian scientists and designers. It is based on highest trust and respect. I wish great successes in future ventures in further strengthening of Russia-India friendship," he said during a visit to its headquarters here.

Terming the BrahMos as a "remarkable achievement", Patrushev said the joint venture was the best way in which India and Russia can cooperate in high technology defence and aerospace products.

Briefing the Russian official about the project, BrahMos chief Sivathanu Pillai presented the progress made by JV project in the last 10 years and the possible areas for future collaborations.

fullstory