Brahmos test launch

From defense-aerospace.com:

NEW DELHI, Feb 12 (AFP) – 13:39 GMT – India Wednesday successfully conducted the third test of its short-range cruise missile BrahMos at a testing range offshore eastern India, a defence ministry spokesman told AFP.
The supersonic anti-ship missile with a range of 280 kilometres (174 miles) was fired from a naval ship off the Orissa coast in the Bay of Bengal.

The spokesman said the firing marked the first time the missile has been tested from a launchpad on a ship.

The cruise missile, a joint production with Russia, has the capability to be fired from a variety of platforms including mobile launchers, submarines, ships and aircraft.

In a quick reaction, acrh-rival Pakistan called the test a sign of extremism deliberately timed to attract minimal world attention.

“India is an extremist country and it is dying to display its armament,” Information Minister Sheikh Rashid told AFP in Islamabad.

“This test comes at a time when the world is facing a serious crisis and all countries are looking towards Iraq. India has chosen this time deliberately, so it goes almost unnoticed.”

The spokesman said the eight metre (26 feet) missile could go up to a height of 14 kilometres at twice the speed of sound.

Charged by a solid propellant and following a pre-set trajectory, the missile can change its course to strike anywhere within 20 kilometers of the original target.

The missile, was first test-fired on June 12, 2001 and again on April 28,

Wednesday’s missile test was the fourth India has conducted since the beginning of the year.

On January 9, it tested an intermediate range ballistic missile, Agni, followed nine days later by a test of its medium range surface-to-air missile, Akash (Sky). Two days after that, on January 20, it again tested the Akash.

A Press Trust of India (PTI) report from Orissa said about 40 Russian scientists witnessed the test along with Indian scientists.

BrahMos is an acronym for the mighty Indian river Brahmaputra in the east, and Moscow.

Work on the missile began in 1998. It was recently showcased at India’s republic day celebrations on January 26.

The missile test adds to the already strained India-Pakistan relations that went for a new low last week with tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats.

From Foxnews.com (they even have a picture):

NEW DELHI, India — India on Wednesday test fired a cruise missile jointly developed with Russia and capable of hitting major cities in Pakistan, officials said.

The Brahmos missile, based on the Russian Yahont anti-ship missile, cannot carry a nuclear warhead but has a range of 185 miles and a payload of 440 pounds.

India and its longtime rival Pakistan both have nuclear weapons. Pakistan has denounced the Brahmos missile program, saying it worsens tensions in South Asia.

Relations remain strained between the rivals which were both part of the former British empire until achieving independence more than 50 years ago.

Last week India ordered a senior Pakistani diplomat out of the country after accusing him of giving money to Kashmiri separatists. Four Pakistan Embassy employees were also expelled.

Kashmir is a disputed province split between India and Pakistan, and Muslim separatists are fighting to win independence or alignment with Pakistan. The most recent flare-up of tension caused Islamabad and New Delhi to send a million troops to the border before gradually decreasing the forces.

In keeping with the practice followed by both countries of responding in kind, Islamabad expelled an Indian diplomat and four Indian embassy officials. The two uneasy neighbors routinely engage in back and forth expulsions. This was the second round of expulsions in as many months.

Pakistan said the missile test was part of India’s policy of “massive militarization.”

“We know that India has a policy of massive militarization. They are developing missiles of all sorts,” said Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Kamran Niaz. “Pakistan is aware of India’s militarization”

However, Niaz said Pakistan will operate at its own pace. He refused to discuss whether Pakistan would respond with a test of its own. However, he said that Pakistan would not be motivated by India, but rather to “test when it is technically required.”

The Indian defense minister said the test showed the missiles accuracy.

“The missile followed the predicted trajectory and accurately hit the target,” George Fernandes was quoted as saying by Press Trust of India.

Andrew Koch, Washington bureau chief for Jane’s Defense Weekly, said: “For the Indians this is a big deal, it’s a vast improvement over what they currently have.”

“It gives them much greater range, it gives them much greater speed and lethality. … It’s also more accurate than India’s current antiship missiles, which are pretty limited in range,” Koch said.

The Brahmos soared off the Indian Navy’s destroyer “Rajput” on Wednesday afternoon, PTI reported.

The missile, which flies in excess of 1,400 mph, has undergone previous successful tests and is expected to be deployed next year, army officials say.

Brahmos (short for Brahmaputra and Moscow) was set up in 1999 by India’s Defense Research and Development Organization and Russia’s State Unitary Enterprise NPO Mashinostroyenia.

India expects to significantly enhance its long-range strike abilities with the missile, designed for use with land, sea and aerial platforms. The Indian Air Force reportedly is considering the possibility of fitting the Brahmos on its Russian-made Su-30 combat jets.

SOC

“Peace through kinetic solutions”