India successfully test fires air-launched version of BrahMos from Sukhoi fighter jet

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has successfully test fired the air-launched version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from its frontline Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft.

The launch from the Sukhoi fighter jet aircraft was smooth and the missile followed the desired trajectory before directly hitting the land target.

The air-launched version of BrahMos missile is a 2.5 ton supersonic air to surface cruise missile with a range of approximately 300 km, designed and developed by BrahMos Aerospace.

The IAF became the first air force in the world to have successfully fired an air launched 2.8 Mach surface attack missile of this category on a sea target on November 22, 2017.

On Wednesday, it was the second such live launch of the weapon. The integration of the weapon on the aircraft was a very complex process involving mechanical, electrical and software modifications on aircraft.

The software development of the aircraft was undertaken by the IAF engineers while Hindustan Aeronautics Limited carried out mechanical and electrical modifications on the aircraft.

The BrahMos missile provides Indian Air Force a much desired capability to strike from large stand-off ranges on any target at sea or on land with pinpoint accuracy by day or night and in all weather conditions. The capability of the missile coupled with the superlative performance of the Su-30MKI aircraft gives the IAF the desired strategic reach.