In a significant development, the Indian Armed Forces are preparing a maiden test cum trial of a highly anticipated long-range missile. (anti-ship) missile. The trial of the missile will be held early in the month of October 2023 from Abdul Kalam Island in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of the Eastern Indian state of Odisha.
According to the NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) issued by India states that the missile tests will be carried out between October 5-October 9, 2023.
Details of the Report
As per a report from a reputed media agency, the missile being tested is likely to be a long-range anti-ship missile (LRSAM) developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation with a range of 500km, which is greater than that of the BrahMos Missile series. The BrahMos missile (Indo-Russian) cruise missile originally had a range of 290km, now boasts a range of 350-400km.
The report further mentions and projects that the Indian Navy warships will be equipped with the LRSAM after a period of seven years from now. This missile holds substantial promise for bolstering the Indian Navy’s Capabilities, particularly in terms of ship-based missile systems with extended reach.
The New Missile
This missile has the capability to deter any ship-based threat in the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. It can also prevent any carrier-based battle strike group from threatening Indian naval waters. It will provide a considerable heft to the Navy as a ship-based missile with its range. It will be highly instrumental in tackling naval threats from Pakistan and including the greater PLAN naval deployments and forays in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
BrahMos Missiles
The BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile which can be used from all three dimensions. It can be used on land, at sea, as well in the air. The word is derived from two rivers, namely Brahmaputra (River in India, Assam) and Moskva (Russia).
It was tested for the first time in the year 2001. A newer version, or Brahmos-II, is being developed, and it will be the first hypersonic missile that India will use in its arsenal. India has become a major exporter of the Brahmos missiles.
A deal between India and the Philippines has been made in which India will provide the missile to the country. Another Southeast Asian nation, Vietnam, is also interested in acquiring this weapon platform. It has a top speed of Mach 3.0, which is three times faster than the speed of sound (supersonic), operates on Fire and fire-and-forget principle and does not require further guidance post-launch.
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