The BrahMos, a Russian-Indian supersonic cruise missile, is capable of becoming "invisible" and bypassing the missile defense system of modern warships. She attacks the enemy, diving from a height. The name of the rocket comes from the names of two rivers - Brahmaputra in India and Moscow in Russia.
The joint project was completed in less than three years. In 1998, intergovernmental agreements on cooperation were signed, and in 2001, the first test launch of BrahMos took place at the test site in India.
"To date, we have more than 20 launches, and all are successful. The missile has already entered service with the Indian Navy and ground forces," Pravin Patak, general manager for marketing of the Indian-Russian enterprise, told RIA Novosti.
The BrahMos anti-ship missile was created on the basis of the Russian Yakhont design. The latter has undergone major modernization so that the updated model can reach supersonic speeds. Indian specialists have created a new control and electronics system. Thus, the result is a rocket capable of flying at three times the speed of sound. It can hit targets at a distance of about 300 kilometers, while remaining invisible to the enemy's naval air defense.
"Now we are working with the Russian side to install the missile on the Indian Su-30MKI fighters. For this we modified the BrahMos, reduced its weight by almost half a ton," Patak told RIA Novosti.
The developers are planning to create a new generation of BrahMos-2 missiles. Their speed will reach the hypersonic level and will double the existing one.
