India Test-Fires Brahmos-A Supersnoic Missile From Sukhoi-30MKI Aircraft.

Sukhoi-30MKI aircraft of Indian Air Force launching Brahmos-A

Indian Air Force on 22nd November successfully carried out the maiden test-firing of air launched variant of Brahmos supersonic cruise missile from the Sukhoi-30MKI aircraft, carrying the 2.5 ton missile under the beneath on centerline pylon.

Missile successfully detached itself from the aircraft over the Bay of Bengal targeting a naval ship stationed around 150 miles away. Although the missile has a maximum range of 250 miles.

The successful launch of Brahmos-A ALCM gives India the first place to have successfully launched an anti-ship missile of this category with an speed of Mach 2.8 capable of air-launch.

While the present configuration of the aircraft allow to carry only one Brahmos-A at a time, the newer Brahmos-NG which is lighter, more advanced and being made specifically for aircraft would allow the aircraft to carry three Brahmos-NG in a single ferry.

Indian Air Force in a official statement said that the launch from the aircraft was smooth & the missile followed the desired trajectory before directly hitting the ship target 150 miles away. The missile was fired by the test crew comprising Wg Cdr Prashant Nair & Wg Cdr KP Kiran Kumar. The chase aircraft was flown by Sqn Ldr Angad Pratap and Gp Capt Badrish N Athreya.

As per the statement, the air launched BrahMos Missile is a 2.5 ton Supersonic Air to Surface Cruise Missile with range of more than 400 kms. The IAF is the first Air Force in the World to have successfully fired an air launched 2.8 Mach surface attack missile of this category. The integration on the aircraft was very complex involving mechanical, electrical & software modifications on aircraft. The IAF was totally involved in the activity from its inception. 

The software development of the aircraft was undertaken by the IAF engineers while the HAL carried out mechanical & electrical modifications on aircraft. One of the major challenges overcome by scientists of RCI, DRDO in the missile development was optimization of Transfer Alignment of the inertial sensors of the missile, IAF said in a statement.

The Brahmos missile provides Indian Air Force a much desired capability to strike from large stand-off ranges on any target be in sea or land with pinpoint accuracy by day or night and in all weather conditions. The capability of the missile coupled with the superlative performance of the Sukhoi-30 aircraft gives the IAF a strategic reach and allows it to dominate the ocean and the battle fields.