SOURCE: IDRW.ORG
In a significant leap for India’s defense capabilities, the extended-range 800km BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, successfully tested for the first time in 2025, has solidified its reputation as a formidable weapon system. The missile’s combat debut during Operation Sindoor in May 2025 demonstrated its ability to penetrate sophisticated air defenses, notably overwhelming Pakistan’s Chinese-supplied systems. This success has accelerated plans for an expanded developmental cycle and earlier-than-anticipated production, marking a new era in India’s strategic deterrence.
The 800km-range variant of the BrahMos missile, a joint venture between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyenia, was validated in developmental trials earlier this year, with sources confirming its readiness by April 2025. This extended-range version, a significant upgrade from the original 290km range, was made possible after India’s 2016 entry into the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), which relaxed export restrictions on long-range missile technology.
The missile’s first real-world application came during Operation Sindoor (May 7–10, 2025), a retaliatory campaign launched by India in response to a Pakistan-backed terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025. The Indian Air Force (IAF) deployed approximately 15 BrahMos missiles, primarily air-launched from Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighters, targeting 11 of Pakistan’s 13 major airbases, including key installations like Noor Khan in Rawalpindi, Rafiqui in Shorkot, and Murid in Chakwal. The strikes crippled runways, command centers, and air defense systems, with debris found in Rajasthan confirming the missile’s use.
A critical aspect of the BrahMos’s success was its ability to evade Pakistan’s Chinese-supplied air defense systems, including the HQ-9 missile batteries and YLC-18 radars. US urban warfare expert Colonel (Retd) John Spencer noted that these systems were “no match” for the BrahMos, which penetrated defenses with its Mach 3 speed, low radar cross-section (RCS), and advanced electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM). The missile’s “fire-and-forget” capability, coupled with a circular error probable (CEP) of less than 1 meter, ensured pinpoint accuracy, leaving Pakistan’s air defenses overwhelmed.
Pakistan’s claim of neutralizing a BrahMos missile using “soft kill” electronic warfare measures, such as jamming, was dismissed by analysts as propaganda. The 2022 incident, where an unarmed BrahMos accidentally landed in Pakistan’s Punjab province without being intercepted, further underscored the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) inability to counter the missile’s speed and stealth features. The 2025 strikes, which forced Pakistan to relocate aircraft to rear bases and seek a ceasefire, highlighted the missile’s strategic impact.
Pakistan’s claim of neutralizing a BrahMos missile using “soft kill” electronic warfare measures, such as jamming, was dismissed by analysts as propaganda. The 2022 incident, where an unarmed BrahMos accidentally landed in Pakistan’s Punjab province without being intercepted, further underscored the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) inability to counter the missile’s speed and stealth features. The 2025 strikes, which forced Pakistan to relocate aircraft to rear bases and seek a ceasefire, highlighted the missile’s strategic impact.
The BrahMos’s battlefield success has spurred India to fast-track its development and production. The newly inaugurated BrahMos Aerospace Integration and Testing Facility in Lucknow, part of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor, will play a pivotal role. This state-of-the-art facility, completed in just three and a half years at a cost of Rs 300 crore, will assemble and test both existing and next-generation (NG) BrahMos variants. The NG variant, lighter at 1,290 kg and capable of being carried by smaller platforms like the MiG-29, Mirage 2000, and Tejas, is slated for trials in 2026.
The facility will also produce aerospace-grade materials through its Strategic Materials Technology Complex, enhancing self-reliance in defense manufacturing. Plans for a hypersonic BrahMos variant and a submarine-launched version for next-generation submarines are also in the pipeline, with follow-on orders expected from nations like the Philippines and Vietnam. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) cleared the procurement of additional BrahMos-ER regiments worth ?20,000 crore in March 2025, signaling a ramp-up in production to meet both domestic and export demands.
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