With the development of the latest generation BrahMos-ER supersonic cruise missile, India is poised to deploy its most sophisticated and deadly precision-strike system to date. The next version, which is a joint India-Russia project, promises a revolutionary increase in speed and range, with the ability to hit targets up to 800 kilometers away and reach speeds of over 4,300 kilometers per hour.
Senior defense officials claim that the missile is currently in the advanced stages of testing and development. If final trials are successful, it is anticipated to be inducted into the military within the following two years. The operational range of current BrahMos variants, which range from 450 to 490 kilometers, is almost doubled by this Next Generation version.
As one of India’s most accurate and potent strike weapons, the BrahMos missile family has already built a solid reputation. When the Indian Air Force used a BrahMos-A variant launched from Su-30MKI fighter jets to neutralize high-value targets at long standoff distances during Operation Sindoor, it received operational acclaim.
Improvements for the BrahMos-ER go beyond speed and range. For increased accuracy, the missile has a modernized ramjet propulsion system and a sophisticated Inertial Navigation System (INS) that is coupled with the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). These devices are intended to increase mission reliability in contested circumstances and provide resilience against electronic countermeasures.
The new model will initially be delivered to the Indian Army and Navy. Through software updates and changes to the fire-control interface, current land-based and ship-based launch platforms can be easily modified to accommodate the extended-range missile. Due to aerodynamic modifications and extra integration procedures with aircraft like the Su-30MKI, the air-launched version will take longer to operationalize.
The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is making headway on several initiatives to improve India’s indigenous attack capabilities in addition to BrahMos-ER. The 160-kilometer-range Astra Mk-2 beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile is being improved to reach 200 kilometers. The purchase of 700 Astra Mk-2 aircraft has been approved by the Indian Air Force, and manufacturing is scheduled for 2026–2027.
Since the BrahMos system’s proven combat effectiveness, interest in it has progressively increased on a global scale. A number of nations have indicated their intention to acquire the weapon because to its strategic importance and dependability. According to defense analysts, India’s deterrence posture will be significantly strengthened by the combination of the 800-km BrahMos-ER and the 200-km+ Astra missile, allowing for quick, deep-strike operations over several domains.
The BrahMos program was praised by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh as a major accomplishment of the Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) initiative. In the meantime, BrahMos is once again the foundation of India’s conventional long-range precision strike capacity thanks to the vertical-launch BrahMos batteries that are already installed on Indian Navy warships and new Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approvals totaling several thousand billions.
