IAF successfully tests Brahmos long range anti-ship missile in message to China

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Thursday successfully fired the Extended Range Version of Brahmos Air Launched missile anti-ship missile – a move that is bound to be noticed by China which has demonstrated its maritime ambitions in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Significantly, the multi-role Su-30 MKI, capable of long-range strikes was used for the test.

The missile achieved the desired mission objectives in the Bay of Bengal region. With this, IAF has achieved a significant capability boost to carry out precision strikes from SU-30MKI aircraft against land/sea targets over very long ranges, a government statement said.

India is feverishly beefing up its conventional and nuclear deterrent against China, which continues to indulge in sporadic clashes along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), with the intrusion in Tawang being the latest such incident.

Consequently, India is building weapons that will be especially effective against China. With Beijing having plans to build six aircraft carriers by 2035, New Delhi is going ahead with the development of the Pralay anti-ship ballistic missile, that can destroy these floating airfields with a conventional warhead.

The Brahmos missile fired by the Su-30s can also cause extensive damage to a Chinese aircraft carrier task force, where smaller ships guard the aircraft carrier.

The extended range capability of the missile coupled with the high performance of the SU-30MKI aircraft gives the IAF a strategic reach and allows it to dominate future battlefields.

The dedicated and synergetic efforts of IAF, Indian Navy, DRDO, BAPL and HAL have been instrumental in achieving this feat.

It was earlier in May that IAF conducted the first launch of Extended Range version of BrahMos missile from Su-30MKI aircraft in the Bay of Bengal region.

In September, providing further impetus to ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence production, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) signed a contract with BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL) for the acquisition of additional dual-role capable Surface to Surface BrahMos missiles at an overall approximate cost of ₹1700 crore under ‘Buy-Indian’ category.

The induction of these dual-role capable missiles is going to significantly enhance the operational capability of Indian Navy (IN) fleet assets.

BAPL is a Joint Venture (JV) between India and Russia making a crucial contribution to augment the new generation of Surface-to-Surface Missiles (SSMs) with enhanced range and dual role capability for land as well as anti-ship attacks. The contract gave a further boost to the indigenous production of the critical weapon systems and ammunition with the active participation of indigenous industry.

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