India’s Test of Air Launched BrahMos Missile a Major Show of Force to its Adversaries

The Indian Air Force’s successful test firing of a BrahMos cruise missile from an airborne Su-30MKI fighter on May 22nd represents a major show of strength by Delhi against its potential adversaries, with the missile’s capabilities when deployed from the country’s prime combat jet facilitating strikes against enemy warships, military facilities and troop concentrations well beyond the country’s borders. The BrahMos first entered service in 2006 following a joint development project by India and Russia, with the former today being the platform’s sole operator. The supersonic missile is highly manoeuvrable, with most variants capable of exceeding speeds of Mach 3 which, while slower than the Mach 4 Chinese YJ-12, is still faster than the missile’s Western analogues. The platform is closely based on the Russian P-800 Oniks which entered service four years prior in 2002. Initially the BrahMos was intended primarily for the Indian Navy, providing a powerful modern armament for Indian destroyers including the Rajput Class, Kolkata Class and Visakhapatnam Class, as well as for the lighter Talwar Class and Shivalik Class frigates. Mobile land based launchers for the missiles have since been developed for the Indian Army, with the first of these entering service in 2007.

An Air Force variant of the BrahMos designed to be carried by the Su-30MKI has been the most recent development for the missile program. The Indian Air Force currently fields a dozen squadrons of the elite twin engine fighters, by far the most capable in its inventory, and though the aircraft make use of an airframe intended primarily for air superiority its high performance characteristics and powerful sensors also lend it well to strike and maritime strike roles. The Su-30MKI’s twin seats allow it to accommodate both a pilot and a weapons systems officer. The allocation of a growing number of Su-30MKI fighters to delivery of BrahMos missiles has led the Indian Air Force to consider increasing its planned order for the fighters to ensure that sufficient units configured for air to air and other operation are still available. The Su-30MKI is an advanced derivative of the Su-27 Flanker air superiority fighter, and is jointly produced by India and Russia and currently assembled in India under licence.

The Indian Minister of Defence reported regarding the launch of the BraoMos from the Su-30MKI fighter: “The IAF became the first Air Force in the world to have successfully fired an air launched 2.8 Mach surface attack missile of this category on a sea target on 22 November 2017. Today’s was the second such live launch of the weapon” and “could be successfully undertaken with dedicated support from Indian Navy by way of ensuring availability of a large number of monitoring ships to ensure range safety clearance.” The first flight test of the air launched BrahMos occurred in November 2017 over the Bay of Bengal. The air launched variant of the missile is marginally slower than those deployed from Indian warships, with a speed of Mach 2.8 where others can exceed Mach 3. Deployment from a long range fighter itself capable of exceeding Mach 2, however, significantly increases the reach of the missile both in a maritime strike role and for penetration of enemy airspace. The Indian Air Force plans to equip at least two Su-30 MKI squadrons with the BrahMos missiles. 40 Su-30 MKI fighters are reportedly currently being modified to carry the missiles, with modifications including reinforcement of the aircraft’s undercarriage and hardening of electronic circuitry to withstand the electromagnetic pulses of a nuclear blast - as the missile is reportedly capable of nuclear delivery as well as conventional strikes. A more capable hypersonic variant of the BrahMos with speeds estimated at Mach 6 is reportedly being developed for the Indian Air Force at present.