India, Russia pact to extend BrahMos missile partnership

India and Russia are expected to sign a pact during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit there to extend their partnership indefinitely for producing the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.

A proposal in this regard was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security in its meeting today headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, sources said here.

The Prime Minister will embark on a two-day visit to Russia on October 20 after which he will go to China.

New Delhi and Moscow had agreed for a 15-year partnership when the agreement was signed in 1998 and then extended it up to February 2014 earlier this year.

With this new pact, the two countries will continue to have partnership in this venture as long as they want.

The BrahMos, jointly developed by India and Russia, is capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 300 kg.

The missile can cruise at a maximum speed of 2.8 Mach (or 2.8 times the speed of sound).

India is readying several versions of the missile which includes land attack, anti-ship and submarine-launched versions.

India and Russia had recently also agreed to develop a hypersonic version of the cruise missile.

India has plans of deploying the BrahMos on its frontline fighter aircraft Su-30MKI in next few years and trials are expected to be carried out by early next year.