IAF successfully test fires extended range version of BrahMos missile
The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Thursday confirmed that it successfully test-fired an extended-range version of the BrahMos Air Launched missile in the Bay of Bengal. A Su-30 MKI fighter fired the air-launched missile version to "carry out a precision strike against a ship target". The extended-range BrahMos cruise missile test-fired by the IAF can hit targets more than 400 kilometres away, ANI reported.
Indian Air Force achieved a capability boost: Defence Ministry
News outlet NDTV quoted the Ministry of Defence's official release as saying: The BrahMos cruise missile "achieved the desired mission objectives in the Bay of Bengal region and with the successful test, the Indian Air Force achieved a capability boost to carry out precision strikes from Su-30 fighter aircraft against land/ sea targets over long ranges."
This will help IAF dominate future battlefields: Defence Ministry
The ministry also added that this extended reachability of the missile, joined by the high performance of the SU-30MKI aircraft, gives the Indian Air Force a massive strategic boost and permits them to "dominate future battlefields."
IAF shared video of the successful test firing
India working to up BrahMos range to 800kms
The reach of the BrahMos has been extended to more than 400 kilometers after India became part of the multilateral export control administration Missile Technology Control Regime. Earlier, the standard range of this missile was approximately 290 kilometers. More work is reportedly being done to increase the missile's range to 800 kilometers, allowing the Indian armed forces to hit targets deep inside hostile regions.
Indian Navy, BAPL, HAL, DRDO and IAF's joint effort
This latest missile test comes just a few weeks after the Indian Army's Western Command trialed the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile's extended-range version in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The missile's test firing was a joint effort by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Indian Navy, the BrahMos Aerospace (BAPL), the Air Force, and the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
India's recent successful missile test fires
In March, the missile's extended-range version was tested in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, while its anti-ship version was test-fired in April. The test firing of BrahMos comes days after India test-fired nuclear-capable ballistic missile Agni V off Odisha coast from the APJ Abdul Kamal Island. Notably, the Agni V has a target range of up to 5,000 kilometers.
