India's BrahMos: The fastest supersonic cruise missile on the planet

BrahMos Super Sonic Cruise Missile: In today's time, when the world is engulfed in instability and the fire of war, every country has become conscious of its security. At any time, any country can become an enemy of anyone, in such a situation, it has become very important to prepare to keep yourself safe. On the one hand, a fierce war is going on between Russia and Ukraine, while on the other hand, tensions are increasing between Israel and Iran. Along with this, Hezbollah is continuously firing rockets at Israel, to which Israel is also giving a befitting reply.

In view of these circumstances, India has left no stone unturned in modernizing its military power in the last decade. India has bought state-of-the-art weapons from various countries and is now making them itself and selling them to other countries as well. In all of these, India has such an infallible weapon, which no country can compete with. That's why many countries are eager to buy it.

The name of this most dangerous missile is Supersonic Cruise Missile BrahMos. Developed jointly by India and Russia, this missile has a speed of Mach 2.8, which is three times faster than the speed of sound. It is considered to be the world's fastest supersonic cruise missile. BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile capable of attacking land and ships. The range of the missile is 290 km, and it can cruise at an altitude of 10 to 15 km.

The most special thing about this missile is that it can be fired from anywhere, land, air or sea. Its new version can also be fired up to 450-500 km. The BrahMos missile works on the principle of 'fire and forget', that is, once fired, it does not need to be guided. It stops only after destroying its target and is not easily caught by radar, making it difficult for enemies to escape from it.

According to reports, India is also developing an 800 km variant of the BrahMos missile. This is a matter of concern for countries like China and Pakistan as well. It is equipped with stealth technology that makes it less visible to radar and other detection methods. It also has an Inertial Navigation System for use against ships and a Global Positioning System (GPS) for use against land targets. The missile was first tested in 2000, and it was the first cruise missile to be tested at supersonic speed. BrahMos has many advanced capabilities, including:

According to Atul Dinkar Rane, MD and CEO of BrahMos Aerospace, "The BrahMos supersonic missile is unmatched in the world. It is a frontline weapon for all three wings of the Indian Army—the Army, Navy and Air Force. India is the only country in the world that has the same supersonic missile for all three forces."

BrahMos missiles are deployed on about 15 warships of the Indian Navy, including INS Visakhapatnam, INS Mormugao and INS Imphal. The Air Force is also planning to equip its 20-25 Sukhoi aircraft with BrahMos missiles, and the first batch of about 40 jets has been equipped with this missile. The Indian Army is also demanding more BrahMos missiles and some missiles are deployed in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh, where tensions are high with China.

Seeing the amazing power of BrahMos, many countries of the world have shown interest in buying it. India recently exported the first batch of BrahMos missiles to the Philippines. A $375 million contract was signed in January 2022 for anti-ship BrahMos missiles. 75% of the BrahMos missile is indigenous and India plans to manufacture it entirely in the country by 2026.

India had prepared a list of countries in 2021 to which BrahMos missiles could be sold. These countries include Philippines, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, UAE and South Africa. Apart from this, delegations from Egypt, Singapore, Venezuela, Greece, Algeria, South Korea, Chile and Vietnam have also shown keen interest in buying this missile. The BrahMos missile is not only a symbol of India's military power, but it is also a testament to India's self-reliance and its growing reputation in the international market.