India delivers first batch of BrahMos supersonic missiles to Philippines

Source– This post on India delivers first batch of BrahMos supersonic missiles to Philippines is based on the article “India delivers first batch of BrahMos supersonic missiles to Philippines” published in “The Hindu” on 19th April 2024.

Why in the News?

Recently, India delivered the first batch of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines.

About BrahMos supersonic missiles

1. About: The BrahMos is a ramjet supersonic cruise missile jointly developed by the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya.

2. The name “BrahMos” is derived from the combination of two rivers: the Brahmaputra in India and the Moskva in Russia. It is based on the Russian P-800 Oniks missile.

3. It is currently the world’s fastest anti-ship cruise missile in operation and is capable of reaching speeds of Mach 2.8 to Mach 3.

4. They can hit a target up to a range of 290 kilometers and can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms.

Strategic significance of BrahMos

1. BrahMos is a two-stage missile with a solid propellant booster engine.

a) Its first stage brings the missile to supersonic speed (meaning faster than sound) and then gets separated.

b) The liquid ramjet or the second stage then takes the missile closer to three times the speed of sound in cruise phase.

2. It has a very low radar signature, making it stealthy, and can achieve a variety of trajectories.

3. Being a ‘fire and forget’ type missile, it can achieve a cruising altitude of 15 km and a terminal altitude as low as 10 m to hit the target.

4. BrahMos which are called “standoff range weapons” are fired from a range far enough to allow the attacker to evade defensive counter-fire.

5. The BrahMos has three times the speed, 2.5 times flight range and higher range compared to subsonic cruise missiles. 

Read more: Relevance of India-Philippines Brahmos Deal

UPSC Syllabus: Science and technology (Defence)