The Indian Navy has successfully test-fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from INS Kolkata in the Arabian Sea.
Launched using the BrahMos Aerospace’s universal vertical launcher module (UVLM), the test met all required designed parameters.
Set for integration on all three Kolkata-class guided-missile destroyers, the vertical-launched BrahMos system has a range of 290km and can carry a 300kg conventional warhead.
It has a maximum cruise speed of Mach 2.8, which is reportedly approximately three times faster than the US subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile.
Boasting the benefits of stealth, the UVLM can launch the missile vertically in any direction from submarines, vessels, aircraft and land.
The Indian Navy recently revealed plans to integrate Barak-8 long-range surface-to-air missiles on INS Kolkata, which has a maximum cruise speed of 30k and can accommodate around 30 officers and 300 sailors.
The 6,800t anti-submarine warfare vessel includes ATM-based integrated ship data network, auxiliary control systems and an automatic power management and combat management system.
It also has a flight deck and roofed hangar for two medium-lift helicopters.
