India successfully test fires BrahMos cruise missile (Night Lead)

BALASORE - India Thursday successfully test fired an upgraded version of the 290-km BrahMos supersonic cruise missile that can launch surgical strikes at terror camps across the border without causing collateral damage, defence sources said.

The missile was tested from the Integrated Test Range of Chandipur here, about 230 km from Bhubaneswar, in the presence of leading defence officials, the sources told IANS.

The test was conducted to examine its steep diving capability, the sources said, adding the upgraded missile can engage ground targets from an altitude as low as 10 meters for surgical strikes at terror training camps across the border without causing collateral damage.

The 8.4-meter missile developed jointly by India and Russia can fly at 2.8 times the speed of sound. It is capable of carrying conventional warheads up to 200-300 kg and has a range of 290 km. The missile is named after the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers.

An official said the landmark activity of the BrahMos success again established its mountain warfare capability with new guidance scheme, incorporating large scale manoeuvre and steep dive with precision strike capability.

BrahMos Aerospace chief A. Sivathanu Pillai said: In this launch campaign, the missile was put through extreme conditions and it successfully went through all complicated manoeuvres as envisaged in a battlefield in mountain terrain following the exact flight path given to it.

Naval ship functioning as telemetry stations confirmed the accuracy of the mission and marked it as a text book launch, he said.

Defence Minister A.K. Antony congratulated the Defence Research and Development Organisation and BrahMos.

High-ranking army officers who witnessed the launch congratulated the scientists behind the mission, that they said would provide unmatched capabilities to the Indian armed forces.