What You Must Know About BrahMos cruise missile

India is an emerging defence power which ranks no. 5 in its defence expenditure (according to Stockholm international peace research institute). The defence equipments like missiles, aircrafts and so on determine the power of a nation. While talking about the missiles of India, the BrahMos cruise missile tops the list. Here is something that every defence aspirant should know about it.

• It is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarine, ships, aircraft, and land also.
• BrahMos aerospace is the joint venture between Russia and India's DRDO (defence research and development organisation).

• Easily the names of the missiles are based upon the areas from which they originate. So, this is the name of two rivers : the Brahmaputra of India and Moskva of Russia.
• And above all, being 8.4 metres in length it can carry a nuclear warhead of 300 kg.
• The minimum altitude at which a missile travels also determines its capability. This is because at low altitude, a missile is less prone to detection and counter attack. And this missile can travel at as low as 10 metres height.

• India and Russia intend to make 2,000 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles over the next 10 years.
• BrahMos ALCM, weighing 2.5 tonnes, is the heaviest weapon to be deployed on India's Su-30 fighter aircraft modified by HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) to carry weapons.
• Furthermore, a speed of 3 mach makes it world's fastest anti-ship cruise missile in operation.
• A hypersonic version of the missile BrahMos 2 is also presently under development with a speed of Mach 7-8 to boost aerial fast strike capability. It will be ready for testing by 2020.
• As now India is a part of the MTCR(missile technology control regime), India and Russia now planning to develop the new generation BrahMos missile having a range of upto 800 km.

So this is what makes the BrahMos one of the best missiles in the world and the pride of India.