India Conducts Two Tests Of BrahMos Cruise Missile In One Day

India today conducted two different tests of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, the Indian Navy and Air Force have confirmed.

While the Navy tested the anti-ship version of the missile from INS Delhi, the Air Force tested the air-launched variant from a Su-30 MKI fighter.

The test of the anti-ship variant of the missile was conducted using an upgraded modular launcher on board guided-missile destroyers INS Delhi.

"Successful maiden BrahMos firing by INS Delhi from an upgraded modular launcher once again demonstrated long range strike capability of BrahMos alongwith validation of integrated Network Centric Operations from frontline platforms," the Navy said in a statement.

The Air Force tested the air-launched version of the missile in the eastern Indian Ocean in coordination with the Indian Navy. A decommissioned Indian Navy ship was used as the target for this test.

"The missile achieved a direct hit on the target," the Air Force said.

These tests come just weeks after the missile was tested from a land-based launcher in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, the only tri-service theatre command of the Indian Armed Forces, had witnessed the launch.

In February, India test-fired a BrahMos missile from a land-based launcher in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

In January this year, the missile was test-fired from the Integrated Test Range Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.

On 8 December last year, the air-launched version of BrahMos was test-fired from a Su-30MKI fighter, clearing it for serial production. The IAF had test-fired the air-launched version of the BrahMos missile from a modified Su-30 MKI fighter for the first time in 2017.

These tests come at a time when the Philippines has signed a $375 million deal with BrahMos Aerospace Limited for the purchase of missiles for its land-based anti-ship missile system.