India Successfully test-fires BrahMos Missile from INS Kolkata

India successfully test-fired the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos on 14 February 2015 from the destroyer INS Kolkata, the navy`s most powerful and newest warship, in Arabian sea.
The launch off the Goa coast was flawless as the missile met all its designed parameters.

Key Points of BrahMos Missile

• BrahMos supersonic cruise missile & top speed Mach 2.8 to 3.0 and it has pinpoint accuracy [ 1m ] on enemy target.
• It is the world’s fastest cruise missile in operation & which makes it about three times faster than the U.S. subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile
• Launching variants submarines, ships, aircraft and land-based mobile launchers. “The Aircraft version is in final stage of trial.”
• The BrahMos missile has a range of 290 kilometers (180 miles) and can carry a conventional warhead of up to 300 kilograms.
• Future missile is hypersonic version namely BrahMos II with speed of Mach 7 & above, presently under development.

• Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace was founded in 1998. Missile’s name has been derived from the names of two rivers, India’s Brahmaputra River and Russia’s Moskva River.
• Sudhir Kumar Mishar is CEO & MD of Brahmos Aerospace.
• Mishra said in an interview (RIA Novosti) – “Supersonic speed is the BrahMos’ major advantage. An enemy has yet no effective protection against such missiles. After the missile is launched, all the enemy can do is run. In fact, he has even no time to escape. That is why this is a very promising weapon. And it has no alternatives in the world so far,” adding another point that “even if any other country succeeds one day in creating missiles with similar characteristics, we will be a way ahead already.” Source

Key Points of INS Kolkata

• INS Kolkata the country’s largest indigenously built warship was commissioned in Indian Navy on 16 August 2014. The warship was constructed by Mazagon Dockyards Limited and was designed by Navy’s design bureau. It weighs 6800 tonnes and is a technology demonstrator.
• It was handed over to Indian Navy in July 2014 after completing its sea trails. INS Kolkata is a part of the Kolkata Class destroyers of the Indian Navy. The Kolkata class destroyer also includes INS Kochi and INS Chennai which are in pipeline.
• INS Kolkata has the capability of firing 16 BrahMos missile in salvo mode, which is the highest as other ships normally has the capacity to fire eight missiles.