The newly commissioned INS Visakhapatnam of the Indian Navy has successfully tested the advanced sea-to-sea variant of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile on Tuesday.
The missile was of an extended range which means it hits targets at pin-point accuracy at a range of around 400 km. The test is part of weapon system integration into the Indian Navy's newest guided-missile destroyer.
"Successful test-firing of the extended-range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from INS Visakhapatnam represents a twin achievement. First, it certifies the accuracy of the ship's combat system and armament complex. Secondly, it validates a new capability the missile provides the Navy and nation," the Indian Navy said while dubbing it a "Historic Day" for the country.
The navy said that the test augurs very well for the self-reliant India programme and it also provides the navy yet another shot in the arm.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is battling COVID-19 at an army hospital in Delhi, said that the successful launch has reconfirmed the "robustness of Indian Navy mission readiness."
The BrahMos missile is developed by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture firm established in 1998 by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM). It can destroy a target travelling at three times the speed of sound.
The BrahMos Aerospace is developing a hypersonic version of the missile with a range of up to 1,500 km.