The air-launched version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully test-fired
from a Su-30MKI fighter jet on 8th of Dec clearing the path for serial production.
An India Defence Ministry statement said, “The launch is a major milestone in the
BrahMos development.
It clears the system for the serial production of air-version BrahMos missiles within the
country.
During the test, the structural integrity and functional performance have been proven.”
The test was conducted at 1030 hrs from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha.
In this copybook flight, the missile launched from the aircraft followed the pre-planned
trajectory meeting all mission objectives, the Ministry said.
In this video Defense Updates analyze why the start of serial production of Brahmos
-A by India is very bad news for China?
Let’s get started.
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China has stepped up its underwater forays in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), especially
in the Bay of Bengal.
The frequency of submarine patrols by the PLAN or People’s Liberation Army Navy has
increased significantly in the last few years.
Chinese ships have often been spotted gathering information in the Bay of Bengal.
This indicates that China wants to expand its sphere of influence in these waters like
it has done in the South China Sea.
The People's Liberation Army Navy is expanding fast and its warships are getting bigger.
Its latest class of destroyer, Type 055 is an example of China’s growing naval might.
To counter this, in January 2020 Indian Air Force has commissioned the 222 “Tiger Sharks”
squadron consisting of modified Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter jets in Thanjavur armed with Brahmos
A missiles.
The specialist squadron that has a maritime role is also known as the ‘dominator of
the Indian Ocean Region'.
Sukhoi Su-30MKI is the backbone of the Indian Air Force and it has around 200 of these.
It is a twin-seater, twin-engine fighter, developed by Russian aircraft maker Sukhoi
and licensed-built in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
It has abilities similar to the Sukhoi Su-35 with which it shares many features and components.
Su-30MKI is a multi-role fighter capable of executing both air to air and air to land
attack missions.
It is interesting to note that the MKI version of Su-30 includes Israeli and French avionics.
For example, the aircraft is fitted with a French-made heads-up display system and Israeli’s
made electronic warfare system and an advanced targeting pod.
A squadron of Su-30MKI will consist of 18 fighters.
Brahmos is developed jointly by India's Defense Research & Development Organization (DRDO)
and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya.
It is powered by a Ramjet engine.
Brahmos is currently considered to be one of the most deadly cruise missiles in the
world.
The reason is its unique features.
1. It has a supersonic speed of Mach 3 or 1 km per second providing very little time to intercept.
2. BrahMos uses a 300 kg or 660 lbs Semi-Armor piercing warhead and also has very high Kinetic
energy since Kinetic energy is directly proportional to the square of velocity.
BrahMos actually has about 9 times the Kinetic Energy of conventional subsonic missiles like
Tomahawk.
The combined destructive force of massive warhead and kinetic energy is lethal for even
the biggest surface warships & bunkers.
Brahmas has been known to break ships in half in several tests.
3. It can perform S maneuvers in the final stages of flight.
The missile basically doesn’t move in a straight line, making it very hard to intercept.
4. There are lots of redundancies in the guidance system - right from the INS, GPS, GLONASS
and GAGAN making it hard to jam.
5. The accuracy of around 1 square meter makes it apt for a precision strike on high-value
targets.
BrahMos-A (Air) is a modified variant of its basic configuration and specifically designed
for air launch.
It features several design refinements, which include a lighter propulsion system, weight
reduction to 5500 lb (2500 kg) from 6600 lb (3000 kg), as well as redesigned fins and
nose cap.
In January 2014, IAF placed an order to HAL for the integration of the Brahmos onto the
Su-30 MKI.
Though BrahMos-A is lighter than the original BrahMos, it is still a heavy missile and integration
with a fighter aircraft was met with many technical challenges.
For example, the underbelly weapons station of Su MKI was strengthened.
On June 25, 2016, a modified Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30 MKI aircraft carried a BrahMos-A.
This was the first time in the world that such a heavyweight supersonic cruise missile
was integrated on a fighter aircraft.
China’s defense budget is approximately 5 times that of India.
In the report submitted to Congress annually, the Pentagon has stated: “The PRC has the
largest navy in the world, with an overall battle force of approximately 350 ships and
submarines including over 130 major surface combatants.
In comparison, the US Navy’s battle force is approximately 293 ships as of early 2020.”
India can't match China platform to platform and needs asymmetric warfare to take on the
Chinese Navy.
This is where Sukhoi-30 MKI and BrahMos-A combo comes into play.
The Tiger Sharks squadron will be lurking in the Indian Ocean Region with the deadly
armament to knock out Chinese surface combatants.