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Hypersonic BrahMos undergoes successful lab test |
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Indian scientists have successfully conducted a laboratory test of a hypersonic BrahMos missile, a top official said.
“We have achieved a speed of Mach 5.26 in our laboratory tests of the hypersonic version of the BrahMos. However, it will take some 15-20 tests under controlled conditions before the missile can be actually test-launched,” BrahMos Aerospace Chief Executive Offic¬er A. Sivathanu Pillai told IANS.
The test was conducted at the Hyderabad-based Advanced Systems Laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) that has jointly developed the missile with Russia’s NPO organisation.
The BrahMos currently flies at Mach 2.86. Missiles that fly at Mach 3 to 4 (three to four times the speed of sound) belong to high supersonic class. Hypersonic missiles fly at speeds over Mach 5.
“The Brahmos hypersonic version will have higher speed, less fuel consumption and less operational time (to deploy), thus giving better results in terms of range. The high speed will also give less reaction time to the enemy,” Pillai added on May 13.
The high speed will also make the missile hard to detect and will increase the impact on the target.
“The velocity of the missile is directly proportional to the destruction it causes. The high velocity would ensure maximum damage,” Pillai said.
The hypersonic version is powered by a scramjet engine that is also used for launching satellites at low cost.
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