New Delhi: A new air-launched version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile being developed by India will be able to hit targets over a distance of 800 kilometres.
Speaking to news agency ANI, the sources said, “The range of the BrahMos missile has been increased already and with the advantage of being air-borne at high altitudes, the missile can travel a longer distance and can hit targets at 800 kms and beyond.”
Earlier, the air-launched version could strike targets at a 300km range after being fired from a Su-30MKI combat aircraft.
Recently, a BrahMos missile was misfired due to a technical glitch from an Indian Air Force unit during a Command Air Staff Inspection (CASI) there.
“On 9 March 2022, in the course of routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile. The Government of India has taken a serious view and ordered a high-level court of enquiry,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
“While the incident is deeply regrettable, it is also a matter of relief that there has been no loss of life due to the accident,” it added.
However, Pakistan was trying to rake up the issue by questioning the safety of India’s missile arsenal at the international level.
According to sources, the flight path taken by the BrahMos missile depends on its target. For instance, when it is ship-launched, the missile goes up and then cruises just above the sea, while in the surface-to-surface version, the missiles can go up to several feet, depending on how far the target is and then cruise at various levels.