January 9, 2008:
India has doubled its
production of the new PJ-10 BrahMos missile, to 50 a year. The 3.2 ton missile
has a range of 300 kilometers and a 660 pound warhead. Perhaps the most
striking characteristic of the BrahMos is its high speed, literally faster (at
up to 3,000 feet per second) than a rifle bullet. The missile is used by the
army, navy and air force.
India and Russia developed the weapon
together, and now offer the BrahMos for export. The high price of each missile,
about $2.3 million, restricts the number of countries that can afford it. The
weapon entered service with the Indian navy in 2005. Different versions of the
PJ-10 can be fired from aircraft, ships,
ground launchers or submarines. The maximum speed of 3,000 kilometers an hour
makes it harder to intercept, and means it takes five minutes or less to reach
its target. The air launched version weighs 2.5 tons, the others, three tons or
more.
The 29 foot long, 670mm diameter
missile is an upgraded version of the Russian SS-NX-26 (Yakhont) missile, which
was in development when the Cold War ended in 1991. Lacking money to finish
development and begin production, the Russian manufacturer made a deal with
India to finish the job. India put up most of the $240 million needed to
finally complete two decades of development. The PJ-10 is also being built in
Russia. India plans to buy 1,000 of them, and efforts are being made to export
up to 2,000. China and Iran have also expressed interest in the weapon, but
only Malaysia, Chile, South Africa, Kuwait and the UAE (United Arab Emirates)
have been approached with a sales pitch. Russia and India are encouraged enough
to invest in BrahMos 2, which will use a scramjet, instead of a ramjet, in the
second stage. This would double speed, and make the missile much more difficult
to defend against.