Indian Air Force has carried out yet another successful test firing of air-launched BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft. The BrahMos missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was launched to target a ship in the Bay of Bengal around 4000 km away. It was the longest-range test of the fighter-missile combo conducted by Indian Air Force.
The Sukhoi-30 MKI took off from Halwara airbase in Punjab, which was refuelled mid-air before it launched the missile toward the target in Bay of Bengal. This is the second time that the missile has been successfully test-fired from an aircraft. The jet involved in the test was a Su-30 MKI from the Thanjavur-based Tigersharks squadron.
The bulk of the 4,000 km from the airbase was covered by the fighter jet, while the missile travelled the last 300 km on its own towards the target. To cover the over 3500 km distance, the Su-30 needed multiple refueling by Ilyushin-78 midair refueling aircraft. The refueling aircraft had taken off from Agra. The IAF Su-30 had taken off from the Halwara airbase in Punjab around 9 am and hit its target around 1.30 pm after mid-air refueling.
The IAF squadron in Thanjavur is a specialist squadron that flies in maritime role too in. The squadron is also known as the ‘dominator of the Indian Ocean Region’ due to the long reach of Sukhois which are armed with BrahMos cruise missiles.
On October 18, India had successfully test-fired the BrahMos missile from INS Chennai somewhere in Arabian Sea. It hit its designated target with pinpoint accuracy. BrahMos is jointly designed, developed and produced by India and Russia under BrahMos Aerospace which is an India-Russia joint venture. The missile can be launched from ships, submarines and land. BrahMos missiles have been deployed in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh during the ongoing confrontation with China. In the last few weeks, India has test-fired several missiles including anti-radiation missile Rudram-1.
The Philippine Army has shown a keen interest in buying the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile in order to strengthen its coastal defences. This was confirmed by Vice Commander of the Philippine Army, Major General Reynaldo Aquino undertaking a tour of the visiting Indian Navy Ship (INS) Sahyadri docked in the country’s capital Manila.
