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World's First Supersonic Missile Tested
Agence France Presse
NEW DELHI, 30 October 2003 — India yesterday tested the Brahmos, which New Delhi claims is the world’s first supersonic cruise missile, from a test range in the eastern Indian state of Orissa.
The three-ton, 8-meter-long missile can carry conventional warheads weighing up to 200 kg, and strike targets 290 km away. It can be launched from a variety of platforms, including ships and aircraft.
A Defense Ministry statement said the missile — developed with Russian collaboration — was tested from the Chandipur-on-Sea range.
“The flight has achieved all the mission objectives developed for it,” the statement said.
India’s Defense Research and Development Organization said recently the supersonic missile would be ready for commercial production and induction into its defense forces in the next two years.
Meanwhile, India has postponed tests of its long-range nuclear-capable surface-to-surface missile until next year, an official said yesterday.
“The preparations are in full swing, but the tests will be carried out early next year,” V.K. Aatre, scientific adviser to defense minister, was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency.
In April, Defense Minister George Fernandes said tests of the third variant of New Delhi’s nuclear-capable Agni missile were “overdue” and would be held by the end of this year.
A long-range missile was required for putting in place a credible nuclear deterrent, the minister said.
The Agni-III, powered by solid fuel, would be able to carry a one-ton nuclear warhead and have a range of more than 2,000 km, Fernandes had said.
According to reports, India began developing the Agni-III missile in 1999 and it could achieve a range of 5,000 km.
Two other variants of the missile — the Agni-I, with a range of 700 km and the Agni-II, with a 2,000 km range — were at present being inducted into the military, Aatre said.
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| Earth, a planet hungry for peace |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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