Brahmos Aerospace is on track to supply cruise missiles to the Indian
Air Force by 2015, the company's managing director A S Pillai has said.
The BrahMos cruise missile which is jointly designed and developed by
India and Russia has been inducted in the army and navy but its variant
for the air force is undergoing trials.
Pillai spoke to media
after receiving the first batch of 40 missile airframes from Godrej
& Boyce today. The BrahMos missile's air version will be mounted on
Su-30 aircraft.
The air force version will be lighter than its
sea and ground variants and the planes will require upgrades. Flight
trials will take place next year and deliveries to IAF are slated to
begin in 2015.
"Currently we have orders worth $6 billion and
various countries have shown interest to acquire the missiles,'' Pillai
said. Responding to a query on why Russia had not inducted these
missiles he said discussions were on this regard. "It is a question of
their policy and requirement. We are making all out efforts and hope a
decision is made soon,'' he said.
"We have been investing in
aerospace business for last twenty years. It is of strategic importance
to us though the technology business is not so important from turnover
view point,'' said Jamshyd Godrej, chairman of Godrej & Boyce. He
refused to reveal revenue contribution form aerospace business.
"Last
month Godrej Aerospace completed the first production order of 40 sets
of missile air-frame assemblies. Based on our superior performance and
and dedication to the endeavour the second serial production order of
another 100 sets has also been awarded to us,'' Godrej added.
