Sitharaman congratulates DRDO over BrahMos missile successful test

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday congratulated the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) after BrahMos supersonic missile was successfully tested from a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) today.

"India creates a world record and completes Supersonic Cruise Missile Triad by successfully testing #BRAHMOS #ALCM from Indian Air Force Sukhoi-30MKI fighter aircraft. Smt @nsitharaman congratulates Team Brahmos & @DRDO_India for this historic achievement," Sitharaman tweeted.

This successful testing has put India in a strategically dominant position, given the reach of multi-role Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jets and the accuracy of nuclear-capable BrahMos missile, which has been jointly developed with Russia.

A Ministry of Defence statement read, "Brahmos, the world's fastest supersonic cruise missile created history on 22nd Nov 2017 after it was successfully flight-tested first time from the Indian Air Force's (IAF) frontline fighter aircraft Sukhoi-30MKI against a sea-based target in the Bay of Bengal".

"The missile was gravity-dropped from the Su-30 from the fuselage, and the two-stage missile's engine fired up and straightway propelled towards the intended target at the sea in the Bay of Bengal," the statement read.

According to reports, Brahmos Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) weighs 2.5 ton and is the heaviest weapon to be deployed on India's Su-30 fighter aircraft modified by HAL to carry weapons.

Brahmos, the world-class weapon with multi-platform, multi-mission role is now capable of being launched from Land, Sea and Air, completing the tactical cruise missile triad for India. It is a joint venture between DRDO of India and NPOM of Russia.