India to have its first hypersonic missile in next 5 to 6 years, says BrahMos Aerospace CEO

BrahMos Aerospace, an India-Russia defence joint venture, announced on Monday that it is capable of producing hypersonic missiles and would have its first such missile in five to six years.

“BrahMos Aerospace is capable of making hypersonic missiles. In five to six years, we will be able to have our first hypersonic missile by BrahMos,” said Atul Rane, CEO and MD, BrahMos Aerospace while speaking at an event over the commencement of ‘Silver Jubilee Year’ celebration (1998-2023) to mark the incredible journey of one of India’s most successful, cutting-edge military partnership programmes that has produced the world’s best, fastest and most powerful modern precision strike weapon BrahMos. Coinciding with India’s 75 years of Independence, BrahMos Aerospace on Monday commenced the ‘Silver Jubilee Year’ celebrations (2022-2023) to mark the incredible journey of one of India’s most successful, cutting-edge military partnership programmes that has produced the world’s best, fastest and most powerful modern precision strike weapon BrahMos.

The ‘Silver Jubilee Year’ celebrations would begin on June 12 to commemorate 21 golden years since the inaugural supersonic launch of invincible BrahMos and would conclude on February 12, 2023, on ‘BrahMos Raising Day.’

During the ‘Silver Jubilee Year’ celebrations, the JV entity intends to organise a number of key events, meetings, and national-level competitions, including an industry partners’ meet to recognise and highlight the invaluable contributions made by the JV’s key Industry partners as part of the country’s missile manufacturing industry ecosystem.

In addition, a user interaction meeting will be held to recognise the commitment and professionalism of the Indian Armed Forces in operating the world’s greatest supersonic cruise missile system.

A national-level competition on cutting-edge technology and its applications in the missile and aerospace fields is planned, with the goal of orienting and nurturing new talent in the field of missile technology.

The great celebrations will climax on February 12, 2023 (BrahMos Raising Day), when significant events will occur.
Initially, as part of the Silver Jubilee Year festivities, the firm declared that it would devote a portion of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) money to women empowerment-related programmes and initiatives throughout India.

BrahMos Aerospace has achieved multiple historic milestones and many “firsts” in the country throughout the course of its amazing journey spanning two decades.

The JV has begun construction on its new, state-of-the-art BRAHMOS production centre in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, as part of the UP Defence Industrial Corridor (UPDIC) Project, charting the way for the next chapter of this ambitious adventure.

On June 3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate the start of all key industrial projects under the UPDIC, including the establishment of a specialised BrahMos factory to design, develop, and manufacture the highly sophisticated BRAHMOS Next-Generation (NG) weapon system.

With an initial investment of Rs 300 crore, BrahMos Aerospace has obtained around 80 hectares of land in Uttar Pradesh for the creation of the new production centre.

All manufacturing-related work for the new site is expected to be completed by the middle of 2024. When fully operational, this specialised plant will be capable of producing 80-100 BrahMos systems each year.

Work on the BRAHMOS-NG missile has also advanced, and it is expected to be ready for serial production within three to five years. The BRAHMOS-NG production facility will strengthen India’s Missile Industry Consortium and assist galvanise the defence ecosystem for high-end missile technologies. It will also establish India as one of the world’s leading defence technology centres.

The supersonic cruise missile has been successfully operationalized in all three Indian Armed Forces Services (in the Indian Navy in 2005; in the Indian Army in 2007; in Indian Air Force in 2020).

The world-class BrahMos made the first and foremost big breakthrough on India’s military exports front by becoming the first full-scale weapon to be transferred to a responsible, friendly nation after charting one after another remarkable milestones and stunning accomplishments.

On January 28, BrahMos Aerospace secured a historic contract with the Republic of the Philippines to supply the Philippine Navy with a shore-based anti-ship BRAHMOS system.

BrahMos Aerospace, a proud flag-bearer of ‘Make-in-India’ and ‘Design-in-India,’ is now going to ‘Make-for-the-World,’ a first for the JV company and a proud first for India.

The multimillion-dollar BrahMos export agreement has opened the way for India’s ambition to become a world-class military maker and exporter in the coming years.