Article Posted on : - Jun 27, 2016

BRAHMOS missile on Su-30MKI. A file photo.

NEW DELHI (PTI): In a boost to India's air strike capability, frontline fighter aircraft Su-30 MKI on Saturday flew with an integrated BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile that has a range of over 290 kms, making IAF the only air force in the world in possession of such a system.

With this successful flight, the BRAHMOS air version programme now inches closer towards actual test firing when a 2,500 kg BRAHMOS air-to-ground missile will be fired from Sukhoi-30 in coming months.

Integration of BRAHMOS with Su-30 MKI will render the weapon a multi-platform capability while making the IAF the only Air Force in the world in procession of a supersonic cruise missile system.

The Indian Air Force is elated about the enhancement of the firepower and the range this deadly combination of Su-30 with BRAHMOS will provide to them, an official statement said.

The powerful missile will enable the IAF penetrate deep inside enemy territories to deliver a deadly blow to their vital installations from stand-off ranges.

The integration brings a paradigm shift in the capability of the IAF vis-a-vis its adversaries.

The Su-30-BRAHMOS combination will carry out air combat operations within and beyond visibility range and will provide the IAF with the capability of attacking targets protected by powerful air defence assets.

Saturday's flight trial has been keenly observed by several other countries in possession of the Su-30 strike fighter which are looking to acquiring a lethal weapon system for the Russian-made warplanes.

"It is a perfect example of Make in India and an engineering marvel in aviation history of India. It proves that when all agencies come together with one mission, there is nothing like impossible", said T Suvarna Raju, CMD, HAL who was present on the occasion.

He pointed out that this programme was taken up by HAL as an indigenous challenge at its Nashik Division and the required data was generated without the assistance of OEM for the modification.

Sudhir Kumar Mishra, CEO and MD, BraMos Aerospace said it is the first time in the world that such a heavyweight supersonic cruise missile has been integrated on fighter aircraft.

"The world did not believe that we could do it and thanks to the vision of late President A P J Abdul Kalam, we could achieve this today and history is made", he added.

Around 40 Su-30 MKI aircraft are expected to be modified.