BRAHMOS has been described as the “Brahmastra for the Indian armed forces”. The supersonic cruise missile is not quite in the same league as the mighty weapon of Lord Brahma, but it is certainly the fastest and most destructive non-nuclear missile on the planet. While the BRAHMOS triad of sea, land and air launched missiles has set a new benchmark in warfare, it is the new lighter and longer-range variants that could become the star members of the BRAHMOS family.
Smaller and lighter versions were inevitable in the backdrop of the ever-changing nature of warfare. While capable of travelling at blistering speeds, the original BRAHMOS is a three-tonne behemoth. Even the air-launched and modified BRAHMOS-A weighs 2.5 tonnes, which means it can be carried only by the largest Indian fighter – the 40 tonne Sukhoi Su-30MKI. However, newer iterations will be smaller, faster and have longer ranges. The missile is evolving not only with time but also in sync with the multiple needs of a military as large as India’s.
BRAHMOS Extended Range (ER): BRAHMOS started off with a 290 km range as Russia was bound by the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), which was created by the West in order to prevent mainly India from developing missiles that could carry a 500 kg payload to a distance of 300 km. With BrahMos Aerospace declaring that it would go ahead with developing a missile that would exceed the MTCR limit, and with the West realising the futility of stopping it, India was co-opted as a member. Clearly, might is right.
BrahMos Aerospace is currently working on 400, 800 and 1,500 km versions of the missile. While a 600 km missile is more than enough to target every inch of Pakistan, further extensions in range are needed to keep China in check. On March 11, 2017, India conducted the maiden test firing of the extended-range variant. Two years later, CEO & MD of BrahMos Aerospace, Dr Sudhir Kumar Mishra, announced an upgraded 500 km version was ready.
Flashback to the 1971 War: In a daring raid on the night of December 3, 1971, Indian Navy missile boats attacked Karachi and made a bonfire of the city’s harbour. A few days later, the missiles struck again and created an even bigger conflagration, but in the process the Indian destroyer Khukri was lost because the Indian vessels had to move close to Pakistani waters.
Now, BRAHMOS missiles fired from missile boats safe in the Gulf of Kutch or the Indian port of Porbandar can comfortably reach the Pakistani cities of Karachi and Hyderabad. These missiles can also be used to Chinese military targets in Tibet. India has already deployed a sizeable number of the original BRAHMOS missiles and other key assets in several strategic locations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.
Steep Dive – Carrier Killer: The steep dive, 90-degree version has become the Indian Navy’s ultimate aircraft carrier killer. With China’s PLA Navy now having a permanent presence in the Indian Ocean, and Chinese carrier battle groups making regular forays into the waters close to India, there is a need for a specialised missile that can sink an aircraft carrier.
However, getting a shot at an aircraft carrier is difficult as it is protected by several layers of warships, submarines and reconnaissance aircraft. Plus, the carrier has its own close-in weapons systems that can destroy short-range incoming missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defences.
This is where the BRAHMOS steep dive version can be deadly. After its launch and reaching a flat trajectory, the missile dives vertically at its target. Normally, a missile changes its direction or angle gradually, but in a new capability proved by BrahMos, the missile performs the manoeuvre when it is flying at three times the speed of sound. The 90-degree attack means the carrier is targeted from directly overhead, which complicates its defences.
“We can take on any ship at sea up to 300-400 km and after some time, may be longer; we can take on land targets up to hundreds of kilometres and with the test that we have conducted some time back (from the Sukhoi 30 MKI), ranges up to thousands of kilometres,” said Mishra.
BRAHMOS NG: This is BRAHMOS Lite. At just 1.4 tonnes, and with a proportionately lower range of around 120 km, the NG version will be light enough to be carried by the indigenously built Tejas aircraft. Although three metres shorter and 50 per cent lighter than the nine-metre BRAHMOS, the NG is faster (Mach 3.5 versus Mach 2.8) and has a longer range (more than 300 km). Moreover, it will have a newly developed AESA radar seeker in place of the existing mechanically scanned one. It also has a smaller RCS (radar cross section) compared to its predecessor, making it harder for air defence systems to locate and engage.
Although the IAF may not relish the idea of arming the Sukhois with such a short-range missile (which could bring the Su-30 within range of anti-aircraft defences), the NG version could suit deep penetration strike aircraft such as the Jaguar and MiG-27 that may be providing air cover to an Indian armoured thrust.
From the Army’s point of view, more of these missiles can be forward deployed, offering field commanders a weapon they can use to take out the enemy’s battlefield command and communication centres or armour concentrations.
Finally, miniaturisation solutions developed for this new variant can later be used by BrahMos Aerospace specialists in the development of a compact missile for the future fifth-generation fighter aircraft, which will carry its main weapons in internal bays.
Aviation Week suggests the re-sized missile will be capable of withstanding aircraft carrier deck landings. Carrier-based MiG-29s could carry up to three of these pocket rockets. According to Sudhir Kumar Mishra, CEO and MD of BrahMos Aerospace, “The idea is to mass produce the missile so that we can integrate it on a variety of platforms. It is a new business initiative and we see a huge market for it in India and abroad.”
BRAHMOS II: This is the hypersonic version. The company has already carried out a series of lab tests at the speed of 6.5 Mach and the missile is likely to enter the prototype stage around 2025. It will likely have a 1,500 km range and will be land based initially. In September 2020, India became the fourth country to successfully test-fire a hypersonic missile carrier, indicating the rapid progress made by the DRDO in this elite arena.
Former President APJ Abdul Kalam had favoured the development of a reusable hypersonic cruise missile to help India maintain its supremacy in this arena. “You should develop a hypersonic version of BRAHMOS which can be reused….meaning that the missile should be able to deliver its payload and return to base,” Kalam had told defence scientists.
According to former BrahMos Aerospace chief A Sivathanu Pillai, the BrahMos II would deliver its warhead, assess the destruction, return to its launcher and get ready to go again. This bold new missile is inspired by Lord Vishnu’s Sudarshan Chakra – a spiked metallic wheel that destroys its target and returns to its owner. “It is our dream to make the best weapon,” said Pillai. “Our mythology has given us a lot of inputs. (There is) only one weapon (that) destroys the enemy and comes back, and that is Sudarshan Chakra.”
Salvo mode: When rockets are fired in salvo made it ensures that nothing is left to chance and the destruction is complete. In 2014, the BRAHMOS was successfully fired in salvo mode from the frigate INS Trikand off India’s west coast. This means eight cruise missiles can be volley fired at an individual enemy element.
Possible use of salvo mode can be against a large or moving target – such as a destroyer or aircraft carrier at seas. The cost factor plays a key role here. Firing eight expensive BRAHMOS missiles would only make good economics if the intention is to take out a large task force, coastal radar battery or fuel tanker farm.
–The writer is a globally cited defence analyst. His work has been published by leading think tanks, and quoted extensively in books on diplomacy, counter terrorism, warfare and economic development. The views expressed are personal and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
