Army to get BrahMos on June 21

[KashifAsrar]

Today's (16th June 2007) ToI presentation guys!
Kashif

Army to get BrahMos on June 21 ​

At 2.8 Mach, Missile With 290-Km Range Much Faster Than Pak’s Babur


Rajat Pandit | TNN



New Delhi: Even as Pakistan moves swiftly towards large-scale induction of its ‘Babur’ cruise missile, the Indian Army too is gearing up to operationalise the supersonic BrahMos land-attack cruise missile (LACM).
Sources said the first battery of the 290-km-range BrahMos LACM will be formally handed over to the Army, in the presence of President APJ Abdul Kalam, defence minister A K Antony and Army chief General J J Singh, on June 21.
The Army plans to progressively induct three batteries, each with four road-mobile autonomous launchers on 12x12 Tatra vehicles, to constitute its first BrahMos regiment in the near future to use the missile as a ‘‘precision strike weapon’’.
The Army already has missile groups to handle the 150-km Prithvi, 700-800 km Agni-I and 2,000 km-plus Agni-II ballistic missiles. The manpower for the planned three BrahMos regiments, in turn, will come from the downsizing of the existing 31 light artillery regiments, armed with 120 mm mortars, to virtually half in the force.
‘‘While some personnel will go to BrahMos regiments, the others will induct new-generation artillery firepower in the shape of Russian ‘Smerch’ and indigenous ‘Pinaka’ multiple launch rocket systems,’’ said a source. The long-term plan is to have nuclear-tipped LACMs, with strike ranges in excess of 1,500 km. Unlike ballistic missiles, cruise missiles do not leave the atmosphere and are powered and guided throughout their flight path.
Cruise missiles, which can evade enemy radars and air defence systems since they fly at low altitudes, are also much cheaper as well as more accurate and easier to operate. Pakistan’s Babur missile, touted to be capable of carrying nuclear warheads to a distance of 500 km, was tested for the first time in August 2005, with a clear Chinese imprint behind its development. Since then, Pakistan has taken huge strides towards its induction.
Though Babur may score over BrahMos in terms of range at present, the Indian missile travels at much greater speeds. At present, BrahMos flies at 2.8 Mach (almost three times the speed of sound) but, as reported by TOI earlier, India and Russia are now working on a ‘‘hypersonic’’ version capable of flying at a speed between 5 to 7 Mach.
The Navy has already inducted BrahMos missiles, with frontline warships. Impressed by the airbreathing BrahMos, the armed forces have already placed orders worth Rs 3,500 crore for the missile till now.

 

[Adux]

Today's (16th June 2007) ToI presentation guys!
Kashif

Army to get BrahMos on June 21 ​

At 2.8 Mach, Missile With 290-Km Range Much Faster Than Pak’s Babur


Rajat Pandit | TNN



New Delhi: Even as Pakistan moves swiftly towards large-scale induction of its ‘Babur’ cruise missile, the Indian Army too is gearing up to operationalise the supersonic BrahMos land-attack cruise missile (LACM).
Sources said the first battery of the 290-km-range BrahMos LACM will be formally handed over to the Army, in the presence of President APJ Abdul Kalam, defence minister A K Antony and Army chief General J J Singh, on June 21.
The Army plans to progressively induct three batteries, each with four road-mobile autonomous launchers on 12x12 Tatra vehicles, to constitute its first BrahMos regiment in the near future to use the missile as a ‘‘precision strike weapon’’.
The Army already has missile groups to handle the 150-km Prithvi, 700-800 km Agni-I and 2,000 km-plus Agni-II ballistic missiles. The manpower for the planned three BrahMos regiments, in turn, will come from the downsizing of the existing 31 light artillery regiments, armed with 120 mm mortars, to virtually half in the force.
‘‘While some personnel will go to BrahMos regiments, the others will induct new-generation artillery firepower in the shape of Russian ‘Smerch’ and indigenous ‘Pinaka’ multiple launch rocket systems,’’ said a source. The long-term plan is to have nuclear-tipped LACMs, with strike ranges in excess of 1,500 km. Unlike ballistic missiles, cruise missiles do not leave the atmosphere and are powered and guided throughout their flight path.
Cruise missiles, which can evade enemy radars and air defence systems since they fly at low altitudes, are also much cheaper as well as more accurate and easier to operate. Pakistan’s Babur missile, touted to be capable of carrying nuclear warheads to a distance of 500 km, was tested for the first time in August 2005, with a clear Chinese imprint behind its development. Since then, Pakistan has taken huge strides towards its induction.
Though Babur may score over BrahMos in terms of range at present, the Indian missile travels at much greater speeds. At present, BrahMos flies at 2.8 Mach (almost three times the speed of sound) but, as reported by TOI earlier, India and Russia are now working on a ‘‘hypersonic’’ version capable of flying at a speed between 5 to 7 Mach.
The Navy has already inducted BrahMos missiles, with frontline warships. Impressed by the airbreathing BrahMos, the armed forces have already placed orders worth Rs 3,500 crore for the missile till now.

Those I believe are the most part of this news item.
Agni-II has been confirmed as operationalized and is going thru serial productions as well as the new MLRS,

 

[Contrarian]

We also need a subsonic LACM to subidise the costs. Using BrahMos everywhere is not practical, its very expensive. A subsonic LACM is far cheaer than a BrahMos, unless we develop a reusable missile.

 

[Ahassan]

faster than babur.................but less range than babur.....babur 700km.............

 

[Contrarian]

Personally i feel in a limited theatre, BrahMos would be better, it would give a far lesser time for the missile to reach its destination, would affect the battle immediately, and would give a far lesser time for defence and much more destruction power.

Its MAJOR drawbacks: Cost and Range.

 

[Ahassan]

in no way indian radars would catch them............(babur).

 

[Adux]

in no way indian radars would catch them............(babur).

and on what technical grounds would be your claim?

Indians do have one of the best radar's in the world, they do build inhouse good radar's as well as they have greenpine and the like's. babu range as of now is 500km.

 

[Bull]

i think they tested a extended range one recently.

 

[Contrarian]

"tested"

It aint in production, it certainly aint inducted.

 

[Neo]

Babur's latest test was claimed to be a 700+ km range version though I believe the actual range is much higher tha reported.
At this stage we don't want to attract too much attention to our missile capabilities.

 

[Samudra]

How on earth do you plan to acquire targets in the first place ?

 

[Keysersoze]

Personally i feel in a limited theatre, BrahMos would be better, it would give a far lesser time for the missile to reach its destination, would affect the battle immediately, and would give a far lesser time for defence and much more destruction power.

Its MAJOR drawbacks: Cost and Range.

Dude you have forgotten few other drawbacks. The missile will not be on a LO-LO profile. The moment it pops up it will be spotted by Awacs or even ground based radars. Also the heat sigs are greater. Then there is the landscape which is not the same as out at sea.

As someone in the know once said,It is not a theater changing weapon, no one is wetting themselves about dealing with it.

 

[Samudra]

The moment it pops up it will be spotted by Awacs or even ground based radars

You could spot it coming, and you know it would come in five minutes.

How would you stop it ?

 

[Keysersoze]

You could spot it coming, and you know it would come in five minutes.

How would you stop it ?

Fire missiles at it.......... It's is still another air to air target. It would have a great heat signature for ground and air based IR missiles.

 

[centaurzhere.abdul]

Yheah, Excatly they will stop Brahmos threat by firing missiles on it.


They have Anza Missiles to Shot brahmos