Indian Missile News [February 2002]

Supersonic missile-test fire in May
(Telegraph India, 06 February 2002)

India is preparing to test-fire the upgraded version of BrahMos, the supersonic cruise missile jointly developed with Russia. "The next test would be conducted in May," said Dr. V.K. Aatre, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, on the sidelines of a conference at the Indian Institute of Aviation Medicine (IIAM). The first BrahMos missile was successfully test-fired from the Chandipur test range in Orissa last year. The missiles can be launched from land, sea and air. "One flight has shown that the system works. Unless I have a few more flights, I cannot say that we have achieved a mature stage," Dr. Aatre said. "Somewhere in May, we are going for another test and later we can declare when it can go for production," he added.

The missile, expected to be inducted into the armed forces of both India and Russia in two years, uses a Russian propulsion and an Indian guidance system, and is named after the joint venture company which is developing it. The company, set up in 1999, symbolises the confluence of two great rivers - the Brahmaputra and Moskva - which flows by Moscow. Once it becomes operational, the missile will be far superior to the US Tomahawk and the Russian Moskit. It can deliver a warhead weighing up to 300 kg to a distance of over 300 kilometres. The plan is to market BrahMos to friendly countries, which would be identified with the mutual consent of India and Russia.

Agni's strike range to be increased
(Indian Express, 05 February 2002)

India is planning to increase the strike range of Agni ballistic missile, a top defence official indicated on Tuesday. "We always have plans to increase the range....reduce the weight and get better systems....it's part of the development," Dr. V.K. Aatre, Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister said in Bangalore. Dr. Aatre declined to say how far the strike range would be increased. Earlier, delivering the Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee memorial lecture at the Indian Institute of Aerospace Medicine in Bagnalore, he said Agni-II has had three test flights. The last one, a shorter version with strike range of 700 km, was on January 25th this year.