| Brahmos
Celebrates Partnership Day |
February
19, 2013 was celebrated as the
'Partnership Day' at the sprawling
headquarters of the 'Brahmos Aerospace'
in Delhi Cantt to commemorate
the completion of 15 glorious
years of Indo-Russian friendship,
trust and achievements in their
highly successful 'Joint Venture'
(JV) to codevelop and coproduce
the world's fastest 'Brahmos'
supersonic cruise missile.
Brahmos Aerospace was established
in 1998 through an inter governmental
agreement between the two countries,
DRDO (Defence Research & Development
Organisation) and NPOM (NPO Mashinostroyenia)
from Russia as the JV partners
of the Company. The Company was
instituted with an authorised
capital of $250 million with 50.5%
from India and 49.5% from the
Russian side. In a short period
of 15 years, the JV has not only
designed and developed but also
produced in large numbers Brahmos
systems which have been successfully
inducted into the Indian Navy,
Army and the Air Force. Russian
Armed Forces are also in the process
of finalising appropriate platforms
for the induction of Brahmos.
The hugely attended event had
eminent guests from both countries
that included the Indian Defence
Minister, A.K. Antony, Air Chief
Marshal N.A.K. Browne, Chairman
COSC and Chief of the Air Staff,
Dr V.K. Saraswat, SA to RM and
DG DRDO, the Vice Chiefs of
the Army and the Navy, and,
Dr A. Sivathanu Pillai from
the Indian side while the Russian
Federation was represented by
Denis E. Alipov, Minister-Counsellor.
Deputy Chief of Mission of the
Russian Embassy in India and
Dr A.G. Leonov, DG NPOM.
Brahmos is the only supersonic
cruise missile truly operational
anywhere in the world and is
three times as fast as the most
popular subsonic missiles in
the world such as the Tomahawk
and Harpoon. With its maximum
velocity of Mach 2.8 and a warhead
of around 300 kg, it can achieve
a kill energy which could be
as much as 9 times more effective
than the subsonic cruise missiles.
A 'Fire & Forget' weapon,
with a wide range of flight
trajectory options, it gives
little reaction time for the
enemy to activate its defences
and achieves its kill with pin-point
accuracy.
First produced mainly as an
anti-shipping weapon, Brahmos
has been developed in two more
versions; as Block-II against
land targets with discrimination
and surgical strike capabilty,
which has been further improved
in its latest avatar as Block-III
with high manoeuverability and
supersonic steep dive capability.
New models with air and submarine
launch capability are also under
development.
While lauding the Brahmos team
for its unprecedented achievements,
Antony remarked that proof of
the pudding would be when the
"Missile is acquired for
induction into the Russian armed
forces as well." Air Chief
Browne in his address stated
that, "He was confident
all technological issues being
sorted out, the air-launched
version could be tested from
an IAF Su-30 MKI by the year-end."
A miniaturised version of the
air-launched Brahmos is also
on the cards for possible use
by smaller aerial platforms
of the IAF.
A large number of scientists
connected with the Brahmos project
from both sides of the 'Suez'
were suitably awarded by the
Defence Minister during the
ceremony; while Dr Pillai was
compared - as his name sounds
- as the strongest 'Pillar'
of the Indo-Russian Brahmos
joint venture by a dignatory
from the Russian Embassy.
It was also revealed that there
was already an ongoing order
for 400 Brahmos missiles for
the Indian armed forces with
the Company all set to produce
up to 1,000 missiles in the
next 10 years. Some of these
missiles could also be made
available for the armed forces
of select friendly countries.
An Hypersoninc version (Mach
5 to Mach 7) of Brahmos is also
being contemplated for development
in the near future.
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This was officially disclosed at a function here
Feb 20 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the
joint venture, which was attended by Defence Minister
AK Antony, Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief of Staff
Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne and Defence Research
and Development Organisation (DRDO) head Dr VK
Saraswat.
Said Air Chief Marshal Browne: "Dr AS Pillai
(BrahMos CEO) has assured us that BrahMos will
be developing a miniaturized version of the missile
for our other aircraft and the future inductions."
Indications are that the first test of the air-launched
BrahMos would be conducted around the end of 2013
from a modified Su 30 MKI aircraft in Russia.
Later the 290-km range missile would be further
miniaturized so that an Su 30 MKI can carry three
of them while the smaller aircraft like the Mirage
2000, Jaguar and possibly the Rafale – under
discussion for acquisition – one each.
Dr Pillai, a distinguished missile scientist
of India, has been heading BrahMos since its inception.
India has a 50.5 percent stake and Russia 49.5
percent. The venture was set up by India’s
DRDO and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroeyenia.
More than USD 10 billion are reportedly being
spent on BrahMos, and the project to miniaturize
it is estimated to cost more than $ one billion.
The missile is already deployed by the Army
and Navy from land and ships while a submarine
version is also being developed.
Notably, the venture has Missile Technology
Control Regime (MTCR) restrictions of range (290
km) and payload (500 kg) as Russia is a signatory
to the regime. India is not a signatory to missile
and nuclear proliferation regimes but has worked
within their envelopes.
In a significant development last year though,
India has expressed interest to join the very
same nuclear denial regimes which were set up
against it after New Delhi’s first nuclear
test in 1974. Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai,
who announced this intention appropriately at
the country’s leading think tank, IDSA (Institute
for Defence Studies and Analyses), said India’s
confidence arose from its maturity in indigenously
developed strategic capabilities.
(http://www.indiastrategic.in/topstories1550_India_strategic_milestone_and_maturity.htm).
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