INDIA TEST FIRES EXTENDED RANGE VARIANT OF BRAHMOS MISSILE FROM SU-30 JET

India successfully fired the extended range variant of the Brahmos missile from a Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft on Thursday, with the weapon achieving a direct hit on the designated target in the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Air Force said.

“It was the first launch of the extended range version of Brahmos from SU-30MKI aircraft. With this, the IAF has achieved the capability to carry out precision strikes from SU-30MKI aircraft against a land/sea target over very long ranges,” the air force said. The extended range capability of the missile, coupled with the high performance of the SU-30MKI aircraft, gives the IAF “strategic reach” and allows it to “dominate the future battlefields”, the IAF added.

The Brahmos missile, an Indo-russian joint venture, has a range of 290km and is the fastest cruise missile in the world with a top speed of Mach 2.8 (nearly three times the speed of sound). The extended range variant tested by IAF on Thursday has a range of 450-500 km, people familiar with the matter said.

“It gives you extended range and standoff capabilities, and that is a game changer,” said Air Vice Marshal Anil Golani (retd), additional director general, Centre for Air Power Studies.

Increasing the missile’s range became possible after India’s induction into the Missile Technology Control Regime in 2016.