Kalam hands over BrahMos to Army

After handing over the first BrahMos missile to the Army on Thursday, President APJ Abdul Kalam called for the development..

After handing over the first BrahMos missile to the Army on Thursday, President APJ Abdul Kalam called for the development of a 8220;Mark II version8221; of the supersonic cruise missile.

8220;Time has come for the BrahMos Aerospace to work on a Mark-II version of BrahMos so that you will still be the market leader in hypersonic cruise missiles,8221; the President said at a function that marked the delivery of two mobile autonomous launchers and a mobile command post of the system to the Army.

The stealthy cruise missile, which can deliver a 200 kg warhead to a target 290 km away at a speed exceeding 2.8 Mach, has been delivered an year ahead of schedule for 8220;early operationalisation of the missile system8221;. Incidentally, the induction comes as reports indicate that Pakistan is nearing development of its subsonic Babur cruise missile having a range of 500 km.

President Kalam emphasised on the need to 8220;aggressively market8221; the country8217;s first missile export by saying that the system would have a 8220;market shelf life of not more than 5 years8221; before competitors develop better products.

8220;I visualise long-range hypersonic cruise missiles not only delivering payloads but also returning to the base after the mission, leading to re-usable class of cruise missiles within the next decade,8221; he said.

The missile system, originally designed for an anti-ship role, is already in service with the Navy. A smaller air launched version, to be fitted on the IAF8217;s Su 30 MKI, is currently undergoing development. India is also planning to conduct the first test of a submarine launched version of the missile aboard one of its Kilo class vessels by next month. The Army version of the missile passed all validation tests during its 14th launch.

The Army currently operates two missile systems, the short-range Prithvi missile and the medium range Agni I but the BrahMos will give it a strategic edge due to its short launch time and unmatched speed.