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Congratulating the scientists for the successful
launch of the missile, Defence Minister A.K. Antony
said: "It is a wonderful achievement and
a proud moment for India."
"The submarine-launched version of the missile
was test-fired at 2.10 p.m. from a submerged platform
off the coast of Visakhapatnam," BrahMos
Aerospace spokesperson Praveen Pathak said.
"This was the first time that a supersonic
cruise missile was launched vertically from a
submerged platform," he said.
"The missile took off vertically for its
full range of 290 km. Following a pre-defined
trajectory, it emerged from water and took a turn
towards the designated target, meeting all mission
objectives."
"All the telemetry and tracking stations,
including Indian naval ships positioned throughout
the flight path, confirmed the pin-point accuracy
of the mission," Pathak added.
The BrahMos missile can carry a conventional
warhead of up to 300 kg. It has a top speed of
Mach 2.8, about three times faster than the US
subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile. This makes BrahMos
one of the fastest cruise missiles in the world.
It can be launched from submarines, ships and
aircraft. Sea and ground launched versions of
the missile have been successfully tested and
put into service with the Indian army and Navy.
The missile system has been jointly developed
by India and Russia.
Chief executive officer and managing director
of BrahMos Aerospace A. Sivathanu Pillai said
the Brahmos missile is fully ready for fitment
in the Indian navy in a vertical launch configuration,
which will make it one of the most powerful weapons
in the world.
(IANS)
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