The Indian Ministry of Defense announced that the next successful launch of the supersonic Brahmos air-launched missile from the Su-30MKI fighter opened the way to its mass production. India is developing this munition together with Russia.
The Russian-Indian corporation Brahmos Aerospace has been developing Brahmos since 1998 based on the project of the Russian Yakhont rocket. Brahmos can reach a speed 2.5-2.8 times higher than sound (3.1-3.5 thousand kilometers per hour) and hit targets at a range of up to 300 kilometers, stealth technology is used in the design of the rocket.
Land-based and sea-based Brahmos are already mass-produced and are in service with India. In the early 2010s, Brahmos Aerospace began developing an aviation version of the rocket, and in 2017 it launched for the first time her from the plane.
"Brahmos" air-based 2.5 tons - 450 kilograms less than the first two modifications. It also features a reduced starting engine, additional tail stabilizers and a modified nose fairing. The 222 Squadron of the Indian Air Force will be the first to adopt a supersonic aviation missile along with Su-30MKI fighters modified for its transportation.
The Indian Ministry of Defense announced on December 8 that the next successful launch of the air-based Brahmos from the Su-30MKI fighter opened the way to its serial production. The assembly of the ammunition will take place on the territory of India, and the main parts of the rocket body will be created by Indian enterprises.
Brahmos Aerospace is also developing a hypersonic version of the Brahmos rocket. It will receive a hypersonic ramjet engine.
Vasilisa Chernyavtseva
