New Delhi:
India on Friday successfully conducted a of the BrahMos supersonic guided missile capable of hitting targets that may otherwise be inaccessible like in hilly areas, Defence Ministry sources said.
The trial was conducted in Pokhran in the Thar desert of Rajasthan.
The test met all the mission parameters, said the sources.
This was the 25th launch of BrahMos missile for the Indian Army. This latest version of the missile can be guided through mountainous terrain to hit the targets that may be located in hillocks.
It is a stealth supersonic cruise missile that can be launched for ground targets heights as low as 10 meters making it fit for surgical operations with a very low radar signature.
The BrahMos missile has a range of 290 km and can carry a warhead of up to 300 kg.
It has a top speed of Mach 2.8, about three times the US subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile. This makes BrahMos one of the fastest cruise missiles in the world.
BrahMos Aerospace Ltd, set up in 1998 as a joint venture of India and Russia, manufactures supersonic cruise missiles based on the Russian-designed NPO Mashinostroyenie 3M55 Yakhont.
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.