Brahmos
2020 OCT 20
Preliminary >
Science and Technology > Defence technology > Basics of defence technology
Why in news?
- A naval version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully test-fired from an indigenously built stealth destroyer of the Indian Navy in the Arabian Sea
About the BrahMos missile:
- BrahMos is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarine, ships, aircraft, or land.
- It is the fastest supersonic cruise missile in the world.
- It has two stages - First stage comprising of a solid fuel rocket booster and a second stage comprising a liquid-fueled ramjet.
Range and capabilities:
- The missile travels at speeds of Mach 2.8 to 3.0, which is being upgraded to Mach 5.0.
- A hypersonic version of the missile, BrahMos-II, is also presently under development with a speed of Mach 7-8 to boost aerial fast strike capability.
- The ship-launched and land-based missiles can carry a 200 kg warhead, whereas the aircraft-launched variant (BrahMos A) can carry a 300 kg warhead.
- It originally had a range of 290 km which is now being extended to 400 km after India became a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime.
Development:
- BrahMos is a joint venture between the Russia and India's DRDO.
- The name BrahMos comes from the two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.
Cruise missile v/s Ballistic Missile
- A cruise missile is a guided missile used against terrestrial targets that remains in the atmosphere and flies the major portion of its flight path at approximately constant speed.
- Ballistic missiles are rocket-propelled self-guided strategic-weapons system that follows a ballistic trajectory(highly arched trajectory) to deliver a payload from its launch site to a predetermined target.
- Though initially powered and guided they finally falls under gravity on to its target.
- Ballistic missiles that fly above the atmosphere have a much longer range than would be possible for cruise missiles of the same size.
- Ballistic missiles can travel extremely quickly along their flight path.
- With terminal speeds of over 5,000 m/s, ballistic missiles are much harder to intercept than cruise missiles
- However cruise missiles are cheaper, more mobile, and more versatile.
PRELIMS QUESTION
Consider the following statements regarding “BrahMos” Missile :
1.BrahMos is a joint venture between the Russia and India's DRDO.
2.It is a long range missile with a range of 1500 kilometers.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2
Answer to prelims question