Rajnath Singh launches BrahMos unit to produce one of world's fastest supersonic cruise missiles amid India-Pakistan tensions
Amid escalating military conflict with Pakistan,
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
on Sunday inaugurated the
BrahMos Aerospace
Integration and Testing Facility in Lucknow.
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Built at a cost of Rs 300 crore, the facility will manufacture one of the world's fastest supersonic cruise missiles, with a range of 290 to 400 km and a top speed of Mach 2.8. The missile, a product of BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between India and Russia, can be launched from land, sea, or air and uses a "fire and forget" system.
"The facility will be a key part of the Uttar Pradesh
Defence Industrial Corridor
and represents India's commitment to self-reliant defence manufacturing. It includes not only missile production but also testing, integration, and a materials complex for aerospace-grade components," said Ministry of Defence.
What are key specifications of the facility?
The BRAHMOS Manufacturing Centre, announced by BrahMos Aerospace, is a modern, state-of-the-art facility in the Lucknow node of UP DIC. It covers over 200 acres and produces the new
BRAHMOS-NG
(Next Generation) variant, which carries forward the lineage of the BRAHMOS weapons system.
It will facilitate industries through establishing a centralised state-of-the-art technology infrastructure, which will accelerate the product development and reduce the induction time & the turnaround time for the futuristic systems development through its six subcentres. . The corridor extends across six locations — Lucknow, Kanpur, Aligarh, Agra, Jhansi, and Chitrakoot. The programme also involves laying the foundation stone for a Defence Testing Infrastructure System in Lucknow for product certification purposes.
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This unique setup will act as a bridge for Industries & Startups to grasp the DRDO's IPRs, Patents & ToTs. It will extend holistic handholding to Industries, Startups & Academia in UP DIC. It will promote the growth of Industries & Startups in UPDIC and Ease of Doing Business and contribute to building an AtmaNirbhar Bharat.
The release stated that the BRAHMOS
supersonic cruise missile
system is one of the most successful missile programmes in the world. India has undertaken jointly in partnership with its closest strategic ally Russia.
As the world's best and fastest precision-guided weapon, BRAHMOS has fortified India's deterrence power in the 21st century. Designed and developed by the India-Russia JV entity BrahMos Aerospace, the supersonic cruise missile BRAHMOS has continued to evolve as the most versatile weapon in its genre.
To carry forward this excellent lineage, BrahMos Aerospace has initiated work on a new, more advanced variant of the missile - BRAHMOS-NG. This new missile, having smaller, lighter and smarter dimensions, would be designed for deployment on a wider number of modern military platforms, including land, sea, underwater and air. It will hugely bolster the Indian military's modern combat capability and flexibility in the next few years.
The state-of-the-art Defence Technologies & Test Centre is set up to implement the MoU exchanged between Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) and DRDO during DefExpo-2020 at Lucknow in the presence of the Defence Minsiter and the UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Indian forces on alert:
Every misadventure and future escalation by Pakistan will be responded to with strength and decisive action, Indian military said on Saturday. The remarks came shortly after the two neighbours reached an understanding to stop military actions.
"While we will be adhering to the understanding reached today, we remain fully prepared to defend India's sovereignty," Commodore Raghu Nair said.
We remain fully operationally ready to launch whatever operations may be required in defence of the nation, he said at a media briefing.
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