By IPS Correspondents
NEW DELHI, Feb 13 2003 (IPS)

India’s supersonic anti-ship cruise missile ‘Brahmos’ was on Wednesday successfully test fired from a warship stationed in the Bay of Bengal off eastern Indian state of Orissa’s Coast and hit the target accurately, local press reported on Thursday.

Jointly developed by India and Russia, the cruise missile, with a range of about 300 km, was fired from Indian Navy’s destroyer ‘Rajput’ Wednesday afternoon.

"The missile was successfully test fired from a naval ship. The missiles followed the predicted trajectory and accurately hit the target," India’s Defense Minister George Fernandes said after the launch of the missile.

‘Brahmos’ can carry 200 to 300 kg payload of conventional warhead mass depending on the version, the sources said. Primarily an anti-ship missile, ‘Brahmos’ also has the capability to engage shore-based radio-contrast targets. It can be fired from multiple platforms – ship, land, submarine and air, the sources said. Launched from a ship, it can fly up to a height of 14 km at 2-mach speed (twice the speed of sound).

It has a preset trajectory but a sensor on the head detects the target and can change its course to strike up to 20 km from the targeted range.

The missile also has a device to skim at near-surface level. The missile is marginally over eight meters in length, 670 mm in diameter and weighs 3000 kg. It combines the propulsion system and self-homing device of Russia’s ‘Yakhont’ or ‘Onyx’ system with on-board computer guidance developed by Indian defense scientists.

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