BRAHMOS is a supersonic cruise missile that is jointly developed by India's Defense Research
and Development Organization (DRDO) and Russia's NPO Mashinostroeyenia, which have together
formed BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited.
HARPOON BLOCK II ER (Extended Range) is an over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile manufactured
by Boeing.
It is major upgrade of HARPOON BLOCK 1 missile and is currently the main ASM (Anti Ship Missile),
in USA’s armor.
In this video, we will compare these missiles on important parameters and draw an
unbiased conclusion.
Brahmos has a stated range of 295 Km.
Russia is a signatory to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), which prohibits it
from helping other countries develop missiles with ranges above 300 km (190 mi).
India has recently become remember of Missile Technology Control Regime.
It is perceived that INDIA & RUSSIA has the know-how to upgrade the range when required
and is currently keeping it in wraps to meet the MTCR treaty guidelines.
HARPOON 2 ER has improved turbojet engine with electronic fuel controls giving it much
greater range, when compared to its predecessor.
It uses solid propellant booster for surface & submarine launch.
It has a capability to reach targets at a maximum distance of 124 KM.
When compared, we can see that Brahmos more than 2 times the range of HARPOON.
BRAHMOS is one of a kind cruise missile, which has supersonic speed.
It travels at 2.7-3.0 Mach.
It is a two-stage (Booster+Ramjet) missile with a solid propellant booster engine as its first stage, which brings
it to supersonic speed and then gets separated.(Ramjet kick in after that)
Unlike Brahmos, HARPOON is powered by traditional solid propellant engine.
HARPOON has speed of 864 km/hrs.
Or 0.7 Mach, which means it has high subsonic speed.
When compared, we can see that Brahmos has 4 times the speed of HARPOON.
Additional features of Brahmos are as follows:
1. Low radar signature
2. Varieties of flight trajectories
3. Multiple launch platform
4. S maneuver in final stages of flight to avoid interception.
Additional features of Harpoon are as follows:
1. Uses active radar homing.
2. Low-level, sea skimming cruise trajectory to avoid radar.
3. Multiple launch platforms.
4. Slightly higher warhead capacity of 221 kg, compared to 200kg of Brahmos.
Harpoon Block 2 has much lower range & speed when compared to Brahmos. US Navy ships with
the Harpoon are not only out-ranged by ships carrying Brahmos, but also have less time
to react if fired upon. To compensate for the Harpoon’s short range
and lower speed, US military has typically relied upon satellites, submarines, and long-range
patrol or strike aircraft to find and defeat potential surface threats long before they
can target US vessels.
Brahmos has 5 times the mass, it is 3000 kg compared to 650 Kg of Harpoon. Also it has
has 4 times the speed of Harpoon. Hence it has 80 times the kinetic energy of Harpoon.
One hit from it will be enough to break a small ship in half or cripple an aircraft
carrier.
Years of disinterest in surface warfare, caused by a lack of credible adversaries, have left
USA behind in this technology. There has been considerable concern in USA regarding fragile
ASM capabilities. US military is currently exploring many different options to upgrade
its ASM capabilities.
Here are some options on with work is being carried out:
1. Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LR ASM) under development by the U.S. Navy. While
the LR ASM’s subsonic speed isn’t ideal, it makes up for it with a range of over 920 KM and stealth features.
2. Anti-ship variant of the Tomahawk, which
in a recent test, was able to hit a moving ship. The Tomahawk is a proven design and
boasts a range of 1,852 KM (1,000 nautical miles) . However, while the Tomahawk is also subsonic,
it lacks the stealth features of the LRASM, leaving it more vulnerable to enemy air defenses.
3. The SM-6, which has been in, limited service with the U.S. Navy as its most capable
long-range anti-air and anti-missile weapons system since 2013. The SM-6 is estimated to
have a range of over 370 KM and flies at Mach 3.5, giving it the ability to hit an adversary
at a long range with a supersonic speed. But SM-6 is primarily an Air defense weapon. Relying
on the SM-6 as the primary ASM, will result in US Navy ship commanders facing a worrying
dilemma. Using a SM-6 against an enemy surface vessel means that one less that can be used
for the primary task of air defense.
It will be interesting to see how USA goes about it.