BRAHMOS SUPERSONIC
MISSILE - DEFENCE AND SECURITY
News: indian brahmos missiles
delivered to the philippines: the missile’s significance
what's in the news?
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recently, india delivered the first batch of
brahmos supersonic cruise missiles to the philippines.
brahmos:
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the brahmos is a ramjet supersonic cruise missile
jointly developed by the indian defence research and development organisation (drdo) and russia’s npo
mashinostroyeniya.
backdrop:
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the name “brahmos” is derived from the combination
of two rivers - the brahmaputra in india and the moskva in russia.
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it is based on the russian p-800 oniks missile.
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it is the first supersonic cruise missile known to be in service.
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induction of the first version of brahmos weapon
complex in the indian navy commenced from 2005.
key features:
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it is currently
the world’s fastest anti-ship cruise missile in operation and is capable of
reaching speeds of mach 2.8 to mach 3.
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they can hit a target up to a range of 290 kilometers and can be launched from
submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms.
strategic significance
of brahmos:
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brahmos is a two-stage
missile with a solid propellant booster engine.
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its first stage brings the missile to supersonic
speed (meaning faster than sound) and then gets separated.
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the liquid
ramjet or the second stage then takes the missile closer to three times the
speed of sound in cruise phase.
special features:
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universal for multiple
platforms.
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fire and forget principle of operation.
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being a ‘fire and forget’ type missile, brahmos
which are called “standoff range weapons” are fired from a range far enough to
allow the attacker to evade defensive counter-fire.
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high supersonic speed all through the flight.
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it has three times the speed, 2.5 times flight
range and higher range compared to subsonic cruise missiles.
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long flight range with varieties of flight trajectories.
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it can achieve a cruising altitude of 15 km and a
terminal altitude as low as 10 m to hit the target.
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low radar signature, making it stealthy, and can achieve a variety of trajectories.
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shorter flight times leading to lower target dispersion and quicker
engagement.
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pin point accuracy with high lethal power aided
by large kinetic energy on impact.