Why in the News?

The Defence Minister recently inaugurated the Brahmos Aerospace Testing Facility in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. 

More on the News

• Alongside the testing facility, a Brahmos missile production unit was also inaugurated.
• These units are part of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor and are expected to play a critical role in missile testing, assembly, and production.

Defence Industrial Corridors To strengthen defence manufacturing and promote the sector, two Defence Industrial Corridors are being established, one in Uttar Pradesh and the other in Tamil Nadu. These were announced in the Union Budget 2018-19.  Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor It is implemented by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA).  Comprises six nodal points: Agra, Aligarh, Chitrakoot, Jhansi, Kanpur and Lucknow. Tamil Nadu Defence Corridor Led by the Government of Tamil Nadu Comprises five nodal points: Chennai, Coimbatore, Hosur, Salem, and Tiruchirappalli.

About Brahmos Missile

• It is a universal long range supersonic cruise missile system that can be launched from land, sea and air.
  • Supersonic stands for flight speed greater than the speed of sound. It varies in the range of 1-5 Mach.
    • The Mach number is the ratio of the speed of the aircraft to the speed of sound.
    • Supersonic Cruise missile has typical speed of 2-3 Mach.
• It is developed by Brahmos Aerospace, a joint venture between DRDO, India and NPOM of Russia.
  • Brahmos is named after Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers.
• Key Features
  • It is a two-stage missile with a solid propellant booster engine as its first stage which brings it to supersonic speed and then gets separated.
  • The liquid ramjet or the second stage then takes the missile closer to 3 Mach speed in cruise phase.
    • A ramjet is a form of air-breathing jet engine that uses the vehicle's forward motion to compress incoming air for combustion without a rotating compressor.
  • The missile has flight range of up to 290 km. 
  • It operates on Fire and Forget Principle, adopting varieties of flights on its way to the target.
  • Versions: 
    • BrahMos-NG (Next Generation) missile: It will be envisaged as lighter, smaller and yet smarter version of the BrahMos missile.
    • BRAHMOS-II: It will be a hypersonic cruise missile which would fly at a speed greater than 5 Mach.
• Significance of Brahmos Missile
  • High Speed and Precision: High supersonic speed all through the flight and Pin point accuracy with high lethal power aided by large kinetic energy on impact.
  • Stealth Feature: Stealth technology and guidance system with advanced embedded software provides the missile with special features. It has low radar Signature and can cruise as low as 10 meters (terminal altitude).
  • Defense Self Sufficiency: Brahmos exemplifies Make in India through a successful joint venture, with over 200 public and private Indian industries contributing to its sub-systems.
  • Defense Export: The Philippines became the first country to procure Brahmos, with several others such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, UAE, Chile, and South Africa are showing interest, underscoring India's rising role in global arms exports.
• Comparison with other Missiles

Conclusion

The inauguration of the Brahmos Aerospace Testing Facility marks a strategic step towards advancing India's defence self-reliance, strengthening indigenous missile production, and positioning the country as a key player in the global defence export landscape.