India successfully test-fired the air-version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile on Wednesday morning from the supersonic fighter aircraft Sukhoi Su-30MKI.
In the copybook flight from integrated test range in Chandipur off the coast of Odisha, the missile launched from the plane followed the expected trajectory, meeting all mission objectives.
“The launch is a major milestone in the BrahMos development. It clears the system for the serial production of air-version BrahMos missiles in the country,” the Indian Defence Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said that Indian industry develops major airframe assemblies that form the Ramjet engine's integral part domestically. "During the test, the structural integrity and functional performance were proved."
The missile developed by India and Russia received "fleet release clearance" from the Centre for Military Airworthiness & Certification (CEMILAC) - a part of India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) - in June last year as border tensions with China were raging in the eastern Ladakh area.
BrahMos Aerospace - the joint venture between India's DRDO and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyeniya (NPOM) - has been aiming to develop a hypersonic version of a missile that will hit targets five times faster than the speed of sound.
The air-launched version of the missile is around 0.65 tonnes lighter than the ground-launched version weighing 3.2 tonnes.