Context: Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Indian Defence Secretary confirmed that India has signed a strategic ₹5,800-crore deal to export BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to Vietnam.
- He added that a similar export agreement with Indonesia is in its final stages of completion.
About The BrahMos Missile:
What It Is?
- BrahMos is a state-of-the-art, universal, long-range supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from land, sea, sub-sea, and air platforms. It operates on a Fire and Forget principle, maintaining high supersonic speeds throughout its flight envelope, making it incredibly difficult for modern air-defense networks to intercept.
Developed By:
- The missile is manufactured by BrahMos Aerospace, a historic joint venture established in 1998 between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya.
- Its name is a portmanteau derived from two major rivers: the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.
Aim:
- The primary aim of the BrahMos weapon system is to provide devastating precision-strike capability against high-value surface and land targets, guaranteeing absolute maritime denial and strategic deterrence for operating forces.
Key Technical & Performance Features:
- Two-Stage Propulsion: It features a solid propellant booster engine as its first stage for initial acceleration and separation, followed by a liquid ramjet second stage that maintains a high cruise speed near Mach 2.8.
- Unmatched Kinetic Performance: Compared to traditional subsonic cruise missiles, BrahMos possesses 3 times the velocity, up to 3 times the flight range, and 9 times more destructive kinetic energy upon target impact.
- Flight Trajectory & Altitudes: The missile carries a conventional warhead of up to 200 kg. It can cruise at altitudes as high as 15 km or fly as low as 5 meters (sea-skimming terminal phase) to evade enemy radar.
- Universal Launch Configuration: It uses an identical internal missile configuration across all deployment options. It utilizes a Transport Launch Canister (TLC) that acts as a secure storage container, transport medium, and launch tube.
- Multi-Platform Deployments:
- Land: Fired vertically from a Mobile Autonomous Launcher (MAL).
- Sea: Installed in vertical or inclined configurations on frontline warships and submarines.
- Air: Tailored and integrated onto the Su-30MKI fighter aircraft fleet.
Global Footprint & International Buyers:
- The Philippines (First Buyer): Became the first foreign nation to buy the system, signing a $375 million deal in 2022 for shore-based anti-ship variants to secure its coastal borders.
- Vietnam: Signed a major agreement valued at approximately ₹5,800 crore, acquiring coastal defense batteries, missiles, training, and logistics support.
- Indonesia: Defense negotiations are in the final stages to finalize an export contract shortly.
