Article Posted on : - Mar 05, 2012

BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile system. A file photo.

JAISALMER (PTI): The Indian Army Sunday successfully test fired the 290-Km range BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile at the Pokharan range here to operationalise the second regiment of the weapon system in service.

"In conformity and pursuit of operational and strategic surface to surface missile capability development, the second BRAHMOS unit of Indian Army has been operationalised. The Indian Army unit successfully launched BRAHMOS missile and destroyed the preselected target in the field firing ranges in Rajasthan," an Army spokesperson said here.

The test was witnessed by senior Army officials including Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen A K Chaudhary.

The Army has so far placed orders for three regiments of the supersonic cruise missile and with Sunday's test firing, two of them have been inducted operationally.

The Defence Ministry has also given a go ahead to the Army to induct a third regiment for being deployed in Arunachal Pradesh along the China border.

One regiment of the 290-km range BRAHMOS consists around 65 missiles, five mobile autonomous launchers on Tatra vehicles and two mobile command posts, among other equipment.

BrahMos Aerospace, an Indo-Russian Joint venture company headed by Dr. A Sivathanu Pillai, is also working to develop the submarine launched, air launched and a hypersonic version of the missile in the near future.

It has already been inducted into the Navy and is deployed on almost all the front line surface warships of the maritime force.