The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Thursday said it has successfully test-fired an extended-range version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a Sukhoi fighter jet in the Bay of Bengal.
The launch from Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft was as planned and the missile achieved a direct hit on designated target in Bay of Bengal region, news agency ANI said quoting the IAF.
BrahMos Aerospace, an India-Russian joint venture, produces supersonic cruise missiles that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms. BrahMos missile flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach or almost three times the speed of sound.
The range of the advanced version of the missile is learnt to have been extended to around 350 km from the original 290 km.
Last month, an anti-ship version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully test-fired jointly by the Indian Navy and the Andaman and Nicobar Command. In a tweet, the Andaman and Nicobar Command said the test-firing was carried out.
BrahMos was also caught up in a controversy recently after a missile was misfired due to a technical malfunction from an Indian Air Force unit during a Command Air Staff Inspection (CASI). The missile landed in Pakistani territory, causing little damage to property and equipment and no harm to people. Following the incident, India sent a letter to Pakistani authorities expressing its deep regret for the incident, as well as issuing a statement.
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