New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Security has cleared the acquisition of over 200 BrahMos extended 500-km range supersonic cruise missiles for deployment on the Indian Navy's warships. The Rs 19,000-crore deal, cleared on Wednesday, is expected to be signed in the first week of March between the BrahMos Aerospace and the defence ministry.
The BrahMos is the main weapon for anti-ship and attack operations for the Indian navy warships. The earlier missiles had a range of 290 kilometres. The BrahMos missile flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach or almost three times the speed of sound.
BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL), an India-Russian joint venture, produces the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos that can be launched from ships, aircraft, or from land platforms.
Last year in March the Navy had carried out a successful precision strike in the Arabian Sea by ship launched BrahMos missile with DRDO-designed indigenous seeker and booster.
The significance of the missile test was that it had the indigenous "seeker and booster'.
India is also exporting BrahMos missiles.In January last year, India sealed a $ 375 million deal with the Philippines for supplying three batteries of the missile.
