India and Russia are working together on a powerful new hypersonic missile that could be the next big step in their defence partnership.
This missile, a faster and more advanced version of the BrahMos, is still in the early stages, but both countries are building the technology needed to make it a reality.
“Laying the Bricks” for BrahMos-II: Hypersonic Missile Coming
India and Russia are taking their defence partnership to the next level by working together on a highly advanced hypersonic missile.
According to Atul Rane, the former Director General of BrahMos Aerospace, both countries are actively involved in early-stage research and development to create this new weapon.
Rane explained in an interview with RT that the project is still in its early phase, comparing it to “laying the bricks” for the future hypersonic version of the BrahMos missile.
This new version, informally called BrahMos-II, will combine high-end technologies from both India and Russia.
He added that once all the required technologies are fully developed, the hypersonic BrahMos missile will become a reality, continuing the successful legacy of Indo-Russian defence cooperation.
The teams from both nations are focusing on overcoming the technical challenges involved in hypersonic flight, such as developing special materials and advanced propulsion systems.
Previous comments from BrahMos officials suggest that once the project officially begins, the missile could be ready in about six years.
However, some major steps in the design process have already been completed.
Besides the hypersonic version, Rane also confirmed that a smaller version of the BrahMos missile is in development.
This new missile, known as “Mini BrahMos,” “BrahMos-M,” or “BrahMos-NG,” is being designed especially for fighter jets.
The aim is to make the powerful BrahMos missile available to more aircraft, increasing India’s airpower and giving export buyers more options.
The mini version will weigh about 1.5 tons, making it light enough to be carried by fighter jets like the Su-30MKI, Dassault Rafale, and MiG-29K.
Despite its smaller size, it will still fly at supersonic speeds of up to Mach 3.5 and have a range of up to 290 km, similar to the original BrahMos.
Right now, the focus is on making the missile compatible with Indian- and Russian-made aircraft.
In the future, it could also be used on next-generation fighter jets like India’s upcoming Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
