India tested a 600 Km range BrahMos cruise missile from INS Visakhapatnam in 2022

On January 25, the Indian Navy successfully conducted a trial of the BrahMos Extended Range Supersonic Cruise Missile from a Ranvir Class Ship, striking the target accurately. This BrahMos variant is speculated to have an extended range of around 800 km. The Area Warning was for 900 km.

BrahMos Extended range is known to be of 400 to 600 km. Even this information is based on previous area warnings of 750 km. During the January 2023 introduction of the expanded range BrahMos, the Indian research outfit Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) publicly stated that the range would be 350 to 400 kilometres.

BrahMos is based on the Russian missile Onyx. In October 2019, TASS stated that Russia had developed the “Oniks-M” sea-based cruise missile, which has a maximum firing range of 800 km and enhanced accuracy in targeting both maritime and ground targets. According to Russian defence-industrial complex insider, missile flight tests will commence in the coming months.

The source said, the missile’s control system has been updated, allowing it to attack both sea and ground targets more accurately. According to the agency’s interlocutor, the missile’s resilience to electronic warfare techniques has also improved.

Another source in the defence industry stated that flight tests for the current version of “Oniks” were scheduled to commence in the first week of September in the Barents Sea area at the Northern Fleet’s naval testing grounds. Several marine areas were restricted for shipping and civilian aviation during these tests for safety reasons; nevertheless, launches were postponed due to the requirement for extra product testing. He said the flight testing for ‘Oniks-M’ will likely begin within one or two months.

According to the source, the enhanced missile, like the currently deployed “Oniks,” can carry conventional and nuclear warheads. The “Oniks-M” missile’s maximum speed and size remain unchanged from the base variant.

The company that developed and extended Oniks did not respond to the information provided by the sources.

According to manufacturer NPO Mashinostroyeniya, the maximum firing range of “Oniks” in the export version (known as “Yakhont”) is presently 300 kilometres. The missile’s maximum speed is 2.5 times the speed of sound at high altitudes, and the conventional warhead weighs 250 kg.

The P-800 anti-ship complex, including the “Oniks” missile, was developed in 1982 and entered service in 2002. Surface ships and submarines use the system; for example, Project 885’s main multifunctional submarine, “Severodvinsk,” is outfitted with these missiles.

Sudhir Kumar Mishra, the then head of the Indian joint venture “BrahMos,” told TASS at the MAKS-2019 air show that the firing range of the cruise missile “BrahMos” might be expanded to 800 kilometres. He acknowledged that such a technical capability exists.