In News
- Recently, the Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully fired the Extended Range (ER) version of BrahMos air-launched supersonic cruise missile.
BrahMos
- About:
- The missile is capable of being launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air against surface and sea-based targets.
- The ER air-launched missile weighs 2.65 tonnes, which will come down to 1.33 tonnes with the BrahMos-NG (Next Generation) that is under development.Â
- Origin of Name:Â
- The missile derives its name from Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers.Â
- Developed By:
- BrahMos is a joint venture between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya.
- Two-stage Missile with a Solid Propellant Booster Engine:
- First stage brings the missile to supersonic speed and then gets separated.
- The liquid ramjet or the second stage then takes the missile closer to three times the speed of sound in cruise phase.Â
- Range:
- The range of the missile was originally capped at 290 kms as per obligations of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).Â
- Following India’s entry into the club in June 2016, DRDO officials had stated that the range would be extended to 450 km and to 600 km at a later stage.Â
 Source: TH