BrahMos: India’s ultimate force multiplier
India’s military prowess has undergone steady transformation over the past few years and the country is now regarded as one of the major powers of Asia where the rapidly changing geostrategic situation has created new power equations.
Amongst the many modern, highly advanced military assets with India’s armed forces today is the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system, which has metamorphosed the Indian Armed Forces into becoming a most formidable force.
Induction of the BrahMos, the precision strike weapon with stealth, versatility and multi- role capability, has arguably revolutionised modern warfare to a great
extent. This ‘universal’ missile has been designed to neutralise high-value ground or sea-based targets with its high speed, great accuracy and devastating warhead. Multiple target strike capabilities of the BrahMos have been validated with numerous successful test firings conducted from the ground, sea, sub-sea and now, air platforms.
While the land- attack BrahMos is now integral with the Indian Army and numerous Indian Navy warships are equipped with this ‘prime strike’ missile, the Indian Air Force has recently integrated the BrahMos on its Sukhoi Su-30MKI. Test firing trials of the BrahMos air-launched cruise missile ( ALCM), launched from an IAF Sukhoi Su-30MKI against a sea target, took place on 22 November, 2017. This 2.5-ton missile, an improved variant of the original anti-ship BrahMos, features a lighter propulsion system, improved nose cone and enhanced aerodynamic structure.
Advent of this advanced air-launched missile is a true “game changer” for the Indian Air Force, being a powerful tactical asset, especially as regional power plays are establishing strategic supremacy. BrahMos Aerospace, the India- Russia JV entity which designs develops and manufactures the BrahMos, has established its leadership position, carrying out a complex programme of integrating and flight testing of this unique, precision strike weapon from the air. The Su-30MKI, equipped with the BrahMos, will become India’s ultimate ‘trump card’.
“The BrahMos is a very heavy missile and such a class of weapon has never been deployed on a frontline air combat platform in the world. The BrahMos ALCM has enormously widened the Indian Air Force’s stand-off air attack capability and given it distinct strategic edge over adversaries,” says Dr Sudhir K Mishra, CEO & MD of BrahMos Aerospace. “As the heaviest – and deadliest – weapon launched from long standoff distances, the BrahMos-A would annihilate any kind of sea and ground-based targets”.
India is the only country extant having in its inventory such a powerful supersonic cruise missile, launched from land, sea/ sub-sea and air platforms. With the Indian Air Force now receiving the BrahMos-A in large numbers fir integration with Sukhoi Su-30MKI, the Indian armed forces have acquired “unprecedented capability to engage critical enemy assets across the spectrum of warfare, thus decisively influencing the course of conflict in the future”.