The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile with an extended life was for the first time successfully test fired today from the Integrated Test Range at 1040 hours in Balasore in Odisha. The test was conducted as a part of life extension program from 10 years to 15 years.

The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile with an extended life was for the first time successfully test fired today from the Integrated Test Range at 10:40 hours in Balasore in Odisha. The test was conducted as a part of life extension programme from 10 years to 15 years. The test firing of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was conducted from a static inclined launcher. This ensured longevity and efficacy of the missile system. The precision strike missile flew in its designated trajectory and was successfully tested for its key functionality. BrahMos has become the first Indian missile whose life has been extended from 10 to 15 years.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman congratulated the team Brahmos Aerospace and DRDO team for its successful flight test. She tweeted her compliments saying that the test would result in the huge saving of replacement cost of missile systems in the Indian Defence Forces. Two months earlier, India had successfully test fired BrahMos supersonic cruise missile with an indigenous seeker at Pokharan range in Rajasthan.

The missile had also reached the maximum speed of 3 Mach, i.e three times faster than the speed of sound. India could improve on the speed of the missile system up to 400 km only after technical restrictions on India were lifted and after India eventually became a full-time member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), last year. India is also working to develop an 800-km version of BrahMos which is expected to be ready in some time.

BrahMos missile is a joint venture between India and Russia and is being developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya, the rocket design bureau based in Reutov. As of now, the jointly developed BrahMos missile is known for its unmatched speed, precision and firepower. It has also been formally inducted in Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force.