India is gearing up to undertake a maiden test-launch of the airborne variant of BrahMos cruise missile from its air superiority fighter jet, Sukhoi Su-30MKI, in 2016, INTERFAX, RBTH reported, citing Irkut Corporation's spokesman.
The BrahMos cruise missile was born out of the joint venture, BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited, between the Defence Research and Development Organisation in India and NPO Mashinostroeyenia from Russia.
The Indian Armed Forces have already inducted different variants of the BrahMos missile for its Army and Navy. The current test of the missile will eventually be inducted into the Indian Air Force after trails.
The missile will be test-fired from a modified Su-30MKI, which needed some structural modifications for missile's integration into the aircraft, the Economic Times reported, quoting Sudhir Kumar Mishra, MD and CEO of BrahMos Aerospace.
BrahMos Aerospace had noted in its official website that two Su-30MKIs have been earmarked for the launch trials.
BrahMos cruise missile can hit targets at a speed of 2.8 Mach and the air-launched version will be 500 kilograms lighter than its other counterparts.
