Context: Recently, an extended range sea-to-sea variant of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully test-fired by India from the Indian Navy’s newly commissioned INS Visakhapatnam.

Key Points

• The supersonic cruise missile is part of the BrahMos Aerospace, an India-Russian joint venture.
• It can be from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms.
• The sea to sea variant of the missile was testfired at the maximum range & hit the target ship with pinpoint accuracy.

Indian Navy’s newest indigenously-built guided missile destroyer represents a twin achievement

• Certifies the accuracy of the ship’s combat system and armament complex
• Validates a new capability the missile provides the Navy and the Nation

About BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile 

• BrahMos, deployed by the Navy on its warships first in 2005, has the capability to hit sea-based targets beyond radar horizon.
• Capable of being launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air against surface- and sea-based targets
• BrahMos is capable of carrying a warhead of 300 kilograms (both conventional as well as nuclear) and has a top supersonic speed of Mach 2.8 to 3 (roughly three times the speed of sound). 
• The missile is highly versatile and its unmatched speed, precision and power makes it the ultimate modern weapon. 
• The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.
• It is the world’s fastest anti-ship cruise missile currently in operation.
• BrahMos missiles are designed and developed by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture company set up by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Mashinostroyenia of Russia