India successfully tests BrahMos supersonic cruise missile

Bhubaneswar, March 30 (IANS) India tested the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos from a test range in Odisha Friday, two days after conducting a similar trial of the same missile from the same range, defence sources said.

'It was a developmental launch which proved a number of systems developed in India,' a senior defence official told IANS.

The missile was launched from a mobile launcher at the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur in the district of Balasore, about 230 km from Bhubaneswar.

The BrahMos has a range of 290 km and can carry a conventional warhead of up to 300 kg. It has a top speed of Mach 2.8, which is about three times faster than the US subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile. This makes BrahMos one of the fastest cruise missiles in the world.

It can be launched from submarines, ships and aircraft. Sea and ground launched versions of the missile have been successfully tested and put into service with the Indian Army and navy.