The aerial version of BrahMos cruise missile with reduced weight would
be fitted with deep fighter aircraft Sukhoi-30MKI to undergo the first
flight trial before this year end, said CEO and MD of BrahMos Aerospace
A. Sivathanu Pillai here on Tuesday.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of ‘BrahMos Aerospace Industry
Consortium Meet’, he said one missile would be integrated with aircraft
and “we will carry out flight tests initially with the missile not
having propellants.” It would be a weight simulated missile.
He said live flights would be carried out next year and the Air Force version inducted into service by 2015.
Dr. Pillai said BrahMos Aerospace was currently having an order book
worth Rs. 25,000 crore for Navy, Army and Air Force versions of the
missile.
Asked about the export of the missile, he said 14 countries had evinced
interest and it was for the government to take a decision on it.
Referring to public-private industrial consortium established for
BrahMos, he said it needed to become a national model for the country to
become self-reliant and strong in defence technology. With the latest
Defence Procurement Policy (DPP) stipulating “buy Indian,” it was
necessary to increase indigenous production. Self-reliance would not be a
problem if there was large-scale collaboration and a strategy needed to
be worked out for enabling a huge ‘Military Industrial Complex.’
While addressing the meeting, the former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
said many countries had evinced interest in BrahMos missile and wanted
India and Russia to utilise the opportunity to export the system to
friendly countries. He said 36 flight trials had demonstrated the high
reliability of the system. It had also opened up vast opportunities for
domestic units and 50 per cent of the orders were being executed by the
private industry.
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