A new, lighter version of the Indian supersonic cruise missile
BrahMos called BrahMos-M (Mini) weighing around 1.5 tonnes is being
planned for Indian Navy and Indian Air Force. “BrahMos Aerospace is
currently getting the user requirements to finalise the configuration,”
said Sudhir Mishra, CEO and MD of BrahMos Corporation (BA).
Once
inducted Navy, the Mini can be launched from submarine's
torpedo tubes as well. For the Air Force a mini version means a Beyond Visual
Range (BVR) missile, the Medium
Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) and Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft
(FGFA).
When questioned about test firing the air launched variant from a modified Su-30MKI aircraft, Mr. Mishra told The Hindu that work was progressing to complete the test firing by April-May 2015.
The
submarine variant which was test fired from a submerged pontoon was a
technology demonstration to the Indian Navy. Further, developmental
trials will happen only when the Navy evinces an interest which they
haven’t yet, partly due to non-availability of platforms.
