SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
In a major milestone for India’s defence capabilities, the next-generation BrahMos missile, dubbed BrahMos NG, is on track for its first flight test in 2026, with production slated to commence between 2027 and 2028. Jaiteerth R Joshi, Director General of BrahMos Aerospace—a joint venture between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya—revealed these timelines during a recent interaction with the media.
The BrahMos NG, designed to be more compact and lightweight than its predecessor while retaining the same devastating capabilities, promises to enhance India’s strategic strike options across multiple platforms, signaling a new chapter in the evolution of one of the world’s most formidable supersonic cruise missiles.
The BrahMos NG represents a significant technological leap forward, focusing on reducing size and weight without sacrificing the missile’s proven effectiveness. Joshi emphasized that the development team is employing state-of-the-art technologies to make the missile sleeker and more adaptable to modern warfare requirements. “We are developing state-of-the-art technologies to make the missile sleeker without compromising on its effectiveness,” he stated, underscoring the meticulous engineering efforts behind the project.
Compared to the original BrahMos missile, which weighs 3 tonnes and measures 9 meters in length, the BrahMos NG is a far more compact system, weighing just 1.3 tonnes and spanning 6 meters. This reduction in size and weight makes the missile compatible with a wider range of platforms, including lighter aircraft, smaller naval vessels, and potentially even unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Despite its smaller footprint, the BrahMos NG retains the same core capabilities as its predecessor: a speed of Mach 2.8-3.0, a range of around 290 km (extendable to 450 km with upgrades), and precision strike accuracy against both land and sea targets.
The BrahMos NG project has reached an advanced stage of development, with Joshi confirming that the missile is on track for its first flight test in 2026. “The missile is in its advanced stages of development, with the first flight run expected within a year,” he noted. This flight test will be a critical step in validating the missile’s aerodynamic design, propulsion system, guidance mechanisms, and overall performance under real-world conditions.
Following the initial flight test, BrahMos Aerospace aims to finalize the missile’s design and move towards production within 1 to 1.5 years—setting the production timeline for 2027-28. “The missile will be ready for production in about 1 to 1.5 years after the initial flight test,” Joshi added, highlighting the company’s commitment to an accelerated development cycle. This timeline reflects the maturity of the technologies being incorporated into the BrahMos NG, many of which build on lessons learned from the original BrahMos missile, which has been in service with the Indian armed forces since 2005.
The BrahMos NG’s compact design opens up new possibilities for India’s armed forces, enabling its integration into platforms that were previously incompatible with the larger and heavier original BrahMos. For the Indian Air Force (IAF), the missile’s reduced weight makes it suitable for carriage on lighter fighters like the LCA Tejas and potentially the Mirage 2000, in addition to heavy platforms like the Su-30 MKI and Rafale, which already carry the BrahMos-A (air-launched variant). This versatility will allow the IAF to deploy the missile across a broader spectrum of its fleet, enhancing its strike capabilities in both offensive and defensive roles.
For the Indian Navy, the BrahMos NG’s smaller size could facilitate its deployment on smaller warships, such as corvettes and frigates, as well as submarines in a vertical launch configuration. This would significantly boost the Navy’s anti-ship and land-attack capabilities, particularly in contested maritime environments like the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), where precision and speed are critical for maintaining a strategic edge.
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