India claims test firing World's fastest cruise missile
Shares
NEW DELHI - India said the world’s fastest cruise missile passed another key test on Wednesday when it successfully hit a land target after being fired from a fighter jet.
India is developing the supersonic BrahMos missile – which has a top speed of 3,450 kilometres per hour – with Russia, and according to media reports wants to soon start selling it abroad.
The missile is one-and-a-half times faster than the old Concorde supersonic jet.
The Indian Defence Ministry said a specially converted Su-30 MKI fighter jet successfully fired the 2.5-tonne missile, which had a range of about 300 kilometres.
“The launch from the aircraft was smooth and the missile followed the desired trajectory before directly hitting the land target,” a ministry statement said.
It did not say where the test was staged or give other details apart from saying “very complex” mechanical, electrical and software modifications were made to the Russian-origin fighter jet.
The first test on a sea target was staged in November 2017.