The BrahMos Missile of the Indian Armed forces is a supersonic cruise missile developed by the DRDO and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya (NPOM). The UPSC Syllabus for GS-3 includes an important and dynamic section on defence technologies. The Union Public Service Commission has asked several questions related to the missile launch, its type, etc earlier. In this article, we will discuss in detail about the BrahMos Missile and its features.
Candidates who are preparing for the UPSC 2023 exam should be aware of different defence technologies that have been in the news recently.
Latest News: On May 12, 2022, India successfully test-fired an extended-range version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from Su-30MKI fighter aircraft. This maiden launch of the missile’s extended-range version will boost India’s strategic strike capability.
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What is BrahMos?
The BrahMos is a ramjet supersonic cruise missile of a short-range developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Russian Federation’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya (NPOM). It is named after two major rivers of India and Russia: Brahmaputra and Moskva.
In 1998, an intergovernmental agreement was signed between India and Russia, which led to the formation of BrahMos Aerospace. BrahMos Aerospace is a joint venture between the DRDO and NPOM. In the joint venture, Indian side holds a share of 50.5% and the Russian side 49.5%.
The technology used in this joint venture is based on the Russian P-800 Oniks cruise missile and similar sea-skimming cruise missiles from Russia.
The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was first tested on June 12, 2001 at Chandipur in Odisha. Since then it has been upgraded many times across various platforms, that is, the sea, land and air. When compared to subsonic cruise missiles, BrahMos has three times the speed, 2.5 times flight range and higher range.
Technical Details of BrahMos
BrahMos is a medium-range 2 stage missile. The propulsion of BrahMos can be explained as follows:
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| Stage 2 |
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Special Features of BrahMos
- Stealth Technology
- Advanced guidance system
- High Target Accuracy (irrespective of weather conditions)
- Constant supersonic speed
- Operates on ‘Fire and Forget’ Principle
- BrahMos can be launched from land, aircraft, ships, and even submarines.
- One of the heaviest missiles, weighing up to 2.5 tonnes
BrahMos Recently in the News
- In December 2021, the Defence minister of India laid the foundation for the BrahMos Aerospace cruise missile manufacturing unit in Lucknow. The setting up of the manufacturing unit will help in generating employment in and around the area.
- On January 11, 2022, an advanced sea-to-sea variant of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was tested from the INS Visakhapatnam.
- On January 28, 2022, the Philippines placed an order of $375 million for the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles . It is the first export order from a foreign country.
- On May 12, 2022, India successfully launched the extended-range version of the BrahMos missile for the first time from Su-30MKI fighter aircraft. With this maiden launch, India will be able to carry out precision strikes against a land or sea target over a long range from Su-30MKI fighter aircraft.
Click on the link to get the List Of Types Of Missiles In India
BrahMos Missile:- Download PDF Here
The syllabus of the UPSC Prelims exam for general subjects like History, Geography, Economics, Polity, General sciences and CSAT (aptitude) is well defined. However, the IAS current affairs segment which is undefined and dynamic is emerging as an unpredictable part of the UPSC exam. In this context, candidates have to concentrate on both the static and the current affairs areas. In this regard candidates can refer to the links given in the table below:
For more UPSC related preparation materials and articles, visit the links given in the table below. You can familiarise yourself with the exam pattern by visiting the UPSC Syllabus:
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