India test fires user trial of Brahmos supersonic cruise missile

Jul 29, 2012: India today test fired BrahMos supersonic cruise missile as part of a user trial by the Army from a test range at Chandipur off Odisha coast. Defence sources said, the missile, developed under an Indo-Russian joint venture project, has a flight range of up to 290 km and is capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 300 kg.

The cruise missile, a surface-to-surface Army version, was test fired as part of user trial by the Army. The two-stage missile, the first one being solid and the second one ramjet liquid propellant, has already been inducted into the Army and Navy, and the Air-Force version is in final stage of trial.

The name of the missile is derived from the Brahmaputra river and the Russian capital Moscow. The missile can fly at zero level. While induction of the first version of Brahmos missile system in the Indian Navy ommenced from 2005 with INS Rajput, it is now fully operational with two regiments of the Army