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Army Mountain Strike Corps to be armed with Steep Dive BrahMos
BrahMos-I Block III
BrahMos-I Block III
Indian Army's new Mountain Strike Corps will be equipped with a regiment of the BrahMos cruise missile that is capable of engaging and destroying targets hidden behind mountains.
"The steep dive BrahMos will be the most lethal weaponry for the Mountain Strike Corps, christened 17 Corps, which will have an operational tasking for offensive, cross-border military operations on the disputed mountainous boundary with China," a report appeared in Arming India, a widely read blog in the defence fraternity today said.
"The 'steep dive' variant of the 290-km BrahMos missile was validated in test-firings conducted on May 8 and 9 in the Andaman Islands. It has very sharp maneuver capability to hit the target at 90-degree angles or to attack 'right over the head' or 'from the top'," the report quoted senior military officials as saying.
"Networked with sensors, including satellites, this terrain hugging missile can be guided through very sharp maneuvers at supersonic speed touching upto Mach-3 (three times the speed of sound) to hit targets cradled between Himalayan peaks up to 290 km away," the official said.
The deployment of the BrahMos on the China front will lend more muscle to India's military posture on the volatile boundary.
"This will be the fourth regiment of the BrahMos in the Indian Army, and its induction will begin in three years," the report said.
The go-ahead for the steep dive BrahMos induction was given at the highest levels in the government in 2011. This cruise missile regiment configured for offensive mountain warfare will cost Rs 4,100 crore. These costs also involves construction of special storage facilities for these missiles in high-altitude areas, including Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir abutting the Line of Actual Control (undemarcated, disputed border) with China.
The steep dive variant required breakthrough modification in guidance software in the missile's on-board computer. "Some design changes also had to be made to regulate the flow of fuel during steep dives," the report said.With its 90-degree angle-of-attack capability, this is also being projected as an aircraft carrier killer, with an obvious application for the Indian Navy.
The three BrahMos regiments already inducted in the Indian Army have reportedly been deployed in the plains and the desert. The steep dive variant makes the BrahMos relevant to mountain warfare, and will give the much-needed teeth to the Mountain Strike Corps.
"A preponderance of firepower is integral to this corps, which is meant to deter Chinese aggression. The acquisition for 145 M777 ultra light howitzers from the U.S.-arm of BAE Systems has also been initiated for this "sword arm" formation against China," said Arming India.
Source:- Army Mountain Strike Corps to be armed with Steep Dive BrahMos