Article Posted on : - Oct 07, 2012

A file photo of BRAHMOS being test launched from Indian Navy ship INS Ranvijay.

NEW DELHI (BNS): The BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile system was successfully test fired from the Indian Navy's newest guided missile frigate, INS Teg, off the coast of Goa on early Sunday morning.

The surface-to-surface missile, having a range of 290-km, was test launched from the Russian-built Project 1135.6 class warship at 0700 hours.

The missile performed high-level manoeuvres at two given points in a scenario of evading detection by enemies' radars and successfully hit the target ship at a distance of 290 kms, BrahMos officials said.

The decommissioned target ship was completely devastated by the huge kinetic energy of impact. By the time naval helicopter reached the target point, the ship was completely on fire, the officials added.

Sunday's launch was the second test-firing of BRAHMOS from INS Teg. The warship had successfully test-fired the lethal weapon system during its sea trials in the Baltic Sea on November 30, 2011.

Indian Navy commissioned INS Teg on April 27, 2012.

The advanced warship has been fitted with an upgraded multi-role combat suite to make it one of the most potent platforms of the Indian Navy.

INS Teg's weapons suite includes surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missile systems, 100 mm medium range gun, close-in weapon system, torpedo tubes and anti-submarine rockets. The BRAHMOS surface-to-surface missile system is capable of engaging targets at extended ranges at supersonic speed.

The warship has been built as part of a $1.6 billion contract signed between India and Russia in July, 2006. Two other frigates of the class - INS Tarkash and INS Trikand - are at different stages of construction at Russia's Yantar shipyard.

All the three ships will be equipped with 8 vertical launched BRAHMOS missile system as the prime strike weapon.

The new missile frigates are designed to accomplish a wide range of maritime missions, primarily hunting down and destroying large surface ships and submarines.

The vertical launch configuration of BRAHMOS enhances the stealth capabilities of the ship as the missiles are under the deck and not exposed. The Universal Vertical Launcher (UVLM) being used in these ships is also a unique design, developed and patented by BrahMos Aerospace. The same also ensures manoeuvring of the missile in any direction after launch, independent of ship movement, thereby providing the surprise attack concepts to the ships.

The two-stage BRAHMOS missile system was inducted into the Indian Navy in 2005 when it began arming the Rajput-class guided missile destroyers.

The supersonic cruise missile has also been inducted in the Indian Army.

An air-launched and a submarine-launched version of the advanced weapon system are under development at present.

Jointly developed by India and Russia, the BRAHMOS missile has a flight range of up to 290 km and is capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 300 kg. The missile can cruise at a maximum speed of 2.8 Mach.