As BrahMos makes a successful combat debut, read how the Russia-India joint venture was developed over the years aided by the vision of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and APJ Abdul Kalam

India reportedly launched its BrahMos supersonic cruise missile in live battle for the first time as it carried out pinpoint strikes on Pakistani military installations, in the wee hours of 10th May. According to reports, the Indian Air Force retaliated against attempts to violate the country’s airspace by targeting a number of key facilities deep into Pakistan, including Rafiqui, Murid, Nur Khan, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur and Chunian air bases.

The airfields in Skardu, Bholari, Jacobabad and Sargodha reportedly sustained heavy damages. Sialkot and Pasrur radar locations were also hit. Several accounts indicate that the BrahMos missile was probably one of the weapons used in tandem with SCALP and Hammer munitions.

Furthermore, on 11th May, Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, revealed that during “Operation Sindoor” a BrahMos missile was utilized in strikes against Pakistan, at the BrahMos Aerospace Integration and Testing Facility’s opening ceremony in Lucknow. The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was probably deployed for the first time in combat after it underwent successful testing on 12th June 2001.

What is BrahMos

The long-range supersonic cruise missile BrahMos is an unmanned payload rocket that has a warhead, precision-guided weaponry, an aerodynamic frame, a propulsion system and a guidance system. It is renowned for its exceptional accuracy. BrahMos has a solid propellant booster engine and is a two-stage missile. Its initial phase accelerates the missile over the speed of sound, or supersonic speed, before it separates.

The missile is then propelled to three times the speed of sound during its cruise phase by the second stage of the liquid ramjet. An air-breathing jet engine that employs liquid fuel that is injected into the fast-moving airstream and ignited to create thrust is called a liquid ramjet.

It follows the “Fire and Forget Principle” and takes a number of different routes to reach its destination. “Fire and forget” missiles are guided weapons that, once launched, don’t need any additional input or control. Its high impact kinetic energy increases its destructive capability. The first stage of the two-stage missile’s solid propellant booster accelerates it to supersonic speed before separating. During the cruise phase, the missile is propelled to speeds that are close to Mach 3 by the liquid ramjet engine in the second stage.

The missile is built for accuracy and durability, incorporating stealth technology and a sophisticated guidance system with embedded software. BrahMos continues to fly at supersonic speed up to 290 kilometers of range. It guarantees shorter flight times, more accurate targets and less opportunities for current defense systems to intercept it. It could land at as low as 10 meters and cruise at as much as 15 kilometers. Its tremendous impact force is supported by a substantial amount of kinetic energy. A conventional warhead weighing 200-300 kilograms is carried by the missile.

Cruise missiles, such as the BrahMos, are classified as “stand-off range weapons” because they are fired from a distance that enables the attacker to avoid the enemy’s defensive fire. The majority of the world’s major armies have these weapons. The BrahMos is the first known operational supersonic cruise missile.

History of BrahMos

India’s ambitious Integrated Guided Missile Development Program was started in 1983. During the program, led by former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Indian rocket scientists and engineers created the ballistic missiles Prithvi and Agni, which currently contribute to the nation’s nuclear-missile defense. However, post-Cold War conflicts, particularly the Gulf War, highlighted the necessity of cruise missiles as an addition to the ballistic missile arsenal.

The Indian Navy was acutely aware of the requirement. Achieving military and technological dominance in the Indian Ocean was a vital objective for a fast developing naval force like India. At that time, India’s long-standing friendship with Russia took center stage in the development of the new missile system without shattering the delicate balance of the non-alignment policy.

An agreement to establish the BrahMos Private Limited joint venture was signed by the governments of India and Russia on 12th February 1998 under Inder Kumar Gujral government who served briefly as the prime minister. BrahMos is a combination of the initial syllables of the names of two major rivers, the Brahmaputra in India and Moskva in Russia.

An Intergovernmental Agreement was signed between Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyenia and India’s Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) which formed a cooperative venture to develop this missile system and established the BrahMos Private Limited (BAPL).

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, prominent Indian rocket scientist who was then in charge of the DRDO signed the deal on behalf of India. It was founded with $250 million in authorized capital, which is more than ₹2,135 crore in today’s currency. 50.5% of the authorized money for the development came from India, with the remaining 49.5% being provided by Russia in 1998.

On 9th July 1999, the first contract for the BrahMos project was signed, during the tenure of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The Russian and Indian governments gave the corporation $123.75 million and $126.25 million, respectively. The project started that year in multiple DRDO and NPOM specialist labs.

BrahMos conducted the first test launch from a fixed launcher at a shooting range on the Chandipur coast on 12th June 2001. The BrahMos missile made its debut at the MAKS (Moscow International Aviation and Space Salon) 2001 international airshow in Moscow in August 2001. The missile’s first test launch from a ship took place in the Bay of Bengal in 2003. It was followed in 2004 by the first test launch from a mobile ground launcher.

As India’s Defense Minister from 1998 to 2004, George Fernandes was also instrumental in the production and deployment of the BrahMos missile under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The Indian military ordered BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles between 2006 and 2009. The missile was successfully launched from INS Ranvir in a vertical configuration for the first time in 2008. Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh oversaw the missile’s introduction into the Indian Navy in 2005, the Indian Army in 2007, as well as the air-launched version in 2012.

The many variants of BrahMos

The Ship-based variant: BrahMos, which can reach sea-based targets outside of radar’s horizon, were first deployed by the Indian Navy on its frontline warships in 2005. The first ship to use a BrahMos was the Indian Navy’s guided missile destroyer INS Rajput and additional vessels have since used it. The naval variant can be launched from both stationary and mobile naval platforms as well as can be fired vertically or inclinedly. It has repeatedly proved successful in both sea-to-land and sea-to-sea modes.

The BrahMos can be launched from ships in a salvo of up to eight or as a single missile, with an interval of two and a half seconds. A group of frigates equipped with contemporary missile defense systems can be attacked and destroyed by these salvos. BrahMos greatly improves the ability to engage naval surface targets at long range and is a “prime strike weapon” for such objectives.

The land-based system: The land-based BrahMos Complex features four to six transportable autonomous launchers. Three missiles that might be fired nearly simultaneously against three distinct targets in three different configurations are handled by each launcher. BrahMos systems have been installed in several locations along India’s land borders. The Indian Army operationalized the BrahMos ground attack version in 2007. An air-conditioned compartment with Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) protection is part of its ground systems.

Three distinct missile configurations have been deployed: Block I, which can hit targets accurately; Block II, which can descend supersonic and discriminate targets and Block III, which can engage targets in mountains.

The air-launched version: BrahMos has undergone multiple successful flight tests since its initial successful flight from IAF frontline fighter aircraft against a sea-based target in the Bay of Bengal in November 2017. The Sukhoi Su-30MKI, India’s front-line fighter jet, is equipped with the heaviest missile, the BrahMos Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM).

2019 witnessed BrahMos ALCM test its land assault and anti-ship capabilities from long, standoff ranges in all weather conditions and at any time of day or night. BrahMos-equipped Sukhoi-30s are regarded as an essential deterrent for the enemies along land boundaries and in the strategically significant Indian Ocean Region. They can fly 1,500 kilometers at a stretch without mid-air refueling.

The submarine-launched version: The first successful test of this variant was conducted in March 2013 from a submerged platform off the Visakhapatnam coast. It is possible to launch BrahMos from about 50 meters below the water’s surface. Launched vertically from a submarine’s pressure hull, the canister-stored missile has distinct settings for underwater and out-of-water operations.

The futuristic BrahMos-NG: The BrahMos-NG (Next Generation), a futuristic variant of the BrahMos, is mainly being developed for air and naval purposes. It will be lighter and smaller, have next-generation stealth features, prove more effective against Electronic Counter-Countermeasures (ECCM), be better suited for conflict in the water, and have the ability to launch from a torpedo tube. According to reports, each unit requires nearly ₹34 crore, while setting up a production unit costs approximately ₹300 crore.

Why is BrahMos significant

India operates its missiles according to the “Fire and Forget” approach since they are deployed against long-range targets and have the advantages of greater speed, precision and a low radar signature. BrahMos, which is among the world’s fastest cruise missiles, is designed to precisely hit both land and water targets.

• Range: More than 450 kilometers (variants with an enhanced range of up to 800 and even 1,000 kilometers along with a top speed of 5 miles per hour have reportedly been tested).
• Speed: Mach 2.8-3.0, supersonic, making interception extremely challenging.
• Launch Platform: It can also be launched via air, land, sea or submarine and Sukhoi Su-30MKI is employed to launch the ALCM (Air-Launched Cruise Missile) variant.
• Accuracy: With superior guiding and navigation, accuracy is almost exact.
• Payload: A 200-300 kilogram high-explosive warhead which performs best against fortified targets.

BrahMos has three times the velocity, 2.5 to three times the flight range, three to four times the seeker range and nine times the kinetic energy of current state-of-the-art subsonic cruise missiles. Its original range was 290 kilometers, however the versions that are presently undergoing extended range testing could reach targets as far as 350 kilometers. More sophisticated versions are being developed including, the BrahMos Extended Range which can go up to 1,500 kilometers and the Hypersonic BrahMos-II equipped to cruise at Mach 8.

Hypersonic speed, or five times the speed of sound and even greater ranges than subsonic cruise missiles are in the cards. BrahMos Block I and BrahMos Air-Launched are the two main versions currently in use as of 2025.

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