BrahMos (missile)

BrahMos
BrahMos shown at IMDS 2007
Type	Supersonic cruise missile
Place of origin	India / Russia
Service history
In service	November 2006
Used by	Indian Army Indian Navy Indian Air Force
Production history
Manufacturer	BrahMos Aerospace Limited
Unit cost	US$2.73 million
Variants	Ship-launched Surface-launched Submarine-launched Air-launched BrahMos-II
Specifications
Weight	3,000 kg (6,600 lb) 2,500 kg (5,500 lb) (air-launched)
Length	8.4 m (28 ft)
Diameter	0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Warhead	200 kg (440 lb) conventional semi-armour-piercing and nuclear 300 kg (660 lb) (air-launched)
Engine	First stage: solid propellant booster Second stage: liquid-fueled ramjet
Operational range	450 km (280 mi; 240 nmi) To be upgraded to 600 km (370 mi; 320 nmi)
Flight ceiling	14 km (46,000 ft)
Flight altitude	Sea skimming, as low as 3–4 meters
Speed	Mach 2.8–Mach 3 (3,400–3,700 km/h; 2,100–2,300 mph; 0.95–1.0 km/s)
Guidance system	Mid-course guidance by INS Terminal guidance by Active radar homing GPS/GLONASS/Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System/GAGAN satellite guidance using G3OM
Accuracy	1 m
Launch platform	Ship, submarine, aircraft (under testing), and land-based mobile launchers.

450 km (280 mi; 240 nmi)

The BrahMos (Hindi: ब्रह्मोस brahmos, Russian: Брамосl) is a short-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarine, ships, aircraft, or land. It is a joint venture between the Russian Federation's NPO Mashinostroeyenia and India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) who have together formed BrahMos Aerospace. It is based on the Russian P-800 Oniks cruise missile and other similar sea-skimming Russian cruise missile technology. The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.

It is the world's fastest anti-ship cruise missile in operation. The missile travels at speeds of Mach 2.8 to 3.0. The land-launched and ship-launched versions are already in service, with the air and submarine-launched versions currently in the testing phase. An air-launched variant of BrahMos is planned which came out in 2012. A hypersonic version of the missile, BrahMos-II, is also presently under development with speed of Mach 7-8 to boost aerial fast strike capability. It is expected to be ready for testing by 2017.

Though India had wanted the BrahMos to be based on a mid range cruise missile like P-700 Granit. Its propulsion is based on the Russian missile, and missile guidance has been developed by BrahMos Aerospace. The missile is expected to reach a total order US$13 billion.

In 2016, as India became a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), India and Russia are now planning to jointly develop a new generation of Brahmos missiles with 600 km-plus range and an ability to hit protected targets with pinpoint accuracy.