What is BrahMos?
BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile developed by India and Russia together. The missile is created by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyenia and India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). The Indian Air Force, Navy, and Army all use this powerful missile.
BrahMos-NG Becomes BrahMos-MA
According to reports, BrahMos-MA is an upgraded version of the BrahMos missile. It was initially being developed as BrahMos-NG (Next Generation), but recently, BrahMos JV’s co-director, Alexander Maksichev, announced that they are now working on BrahMos-MA. The work on this air-launched version of the missile has begun, and they are currently in the design phase. If everything goes as planned, the testing of this missile could begin in the next two years.
Features of BrahMos-MA
BrahMos-MA, also known as BrahMos-NG, is a smaller version of the existing BrahMos missile. It is expected to have a range of 290 kilometers. The new missile will be at least 3 meters shorter and 50% lighter than the current BrahMos version. It will weigh around 1206 kilograms, compared to the current BrahMos missile, which weighs approximately 2500 kilograms.
To Be Fitted on Tejas Aircraft and More
According to reports, Atul Dinkar Rane, CEO of BrahMos, announced last year that the new missile would be fitted on India’s LCA Tejas aircraft. However, during its development phase, it will first be tested on Russian-made aircraft. Later, it will be fitted on India’s light combat aircraft like Tejas. Besides Tejas, this missile can also be fitted on Sukhoi aircraft.
The lighter weight of BrahMos-MA makes it capable of being launched from beneath the sea as well. If everything goes well, testing of this missile could start by the year 2026.
