Brahmos Missile to Be Inducted Into Air Force in 2012

The country's prestigious 'BrahMos' missile would be inducted into the Air Force in 2012 that would ensure all the three wings of the military are equipped with the supersonic cruise missile, a top Defence official said today. "We have developed the airborne missile part, and process of integrating it with the Aircraft 'Sukhoi' was progressing', BrahMos Aerospace Ltd CMD A Shivathanu Pillai told the news agency at the BrahMos Aerospace's facility in Thiruvananthapuram.

Trial run of Airborne BrahMos missile would be held next year and the target was to integrate it with the Aircraft in 2012, he said. As far as integration of the missile was concerned, the original designers of the aircraft were also involved, he said. "We are working with them (Sukhoi). Some changes are necessary and once the alteration is identified, we will introduce the same in the aircraft," Pillai said. With that, all the three wings of Indian military -Air Force, Navy and Army would have the supersonic missile 'BrahMos', he said. Development of a new version of BrahMos missile, involving a technology that would discriminate the target and attack, in 2009 was a major achievement, he added. Three flights on the new version had proved successful and the army would be inducting two more of this version shortly, Pillai said.

On the next generation cruise missile, he said hypersonic BrahMos missile was in design stage. BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (BATL) was involved in developing eight sub-systems for the Defence and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). On expansion of BATL, Pillai said the plan was to establish an "assembly plan" within a year by acquiring 27 acres now occupied by Air Force close to BATL facility. The state government had agreed to find alternative site for Air Force. Once the full-fledged missile integration unit was established, the facility would be capable of producing 25 BrahMos missiles per year from Thiruvananthapuram, Pillai said. However, he said that in the available facility an inspection bay would start from next month.

Referring to BATL's order book, he said ISRO had placed orders for products worth Rs 100 crore for its GSLV, PSLV and other missions. Defence Research Development Organisation has also placed orders for many of their components and "we are expecting more items from DRDO," he said. The company manufactures hardware, particularly for the 'Saruya' and 'Astra missiles, he said. Former President APJ Abdul Kalam visited BATL on Tuesday and asked the management to diversify into civil areas as lot of opportunities were in store in critical sectors such as nuclear power and solar energy.