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BrahMos

India's Supersonic Cruise Missile

BrahMos is a joint venture between India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyeniya, formalized in 1998. The name combines two rivers — Brahmaputra (India) and Moskva (Russia). It is the world's fastest operational cruise missile. The Philippines was the first export customer (2022); Vietnam would be the third Southeast Asian nation to potentially induct it (after the Philippines and Indonesia).

Key details
  • Speed: Mach 2.8–3.0 (supersonic throughout flight)
  • Range: Up to 290 km (standard); air-launched version (BrahMos-A) has a range of ~500 km from Sukhoi Su-30MKI
  • Warhead: 200–300 kg conventional
  • Launch platforms: land, sea (ship and submarine), and air (Su-30MKI)
  • Guidance: Inertial Navigation System (INS) + satellite navigation + active radar seeker (fire and forget)
  • Vietnam deal value: approximately ₹5,800 crore (USD ~700 million) for shore-based batteries
In the news

Tracked since May 06, 2026 · last seen July 09, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes

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