BrahMos test fired at Pokhran:India

Field firing test of BrahMos was conducted in Chandan firing range in Pokhran today. The surface-to-surface missile was fired at 11:17 hrs from launching pad in Chandan firing range near Bhojasar village to hit the target erected near Ajasar. Chief of Army Staff General Deepak Kapoor and several high officials and DRDO scientists were present. This was the third test of the missile, a Indo-Russian joint collaboration product, in Pokhran during this year. Earlier, two tests were held on January 20 and March 4.

This test came after several weeks since a new version of supersonic cruise missile was test-fired but the Army was not ready to announce whether it was successful or not. The result of the test carried out at the Army’s Pokhran field firing range in Rajasthan on March 4 is still being evaluated. Brah- Mos Aerospace officials did claim that test on March 4 was able to achieve its desired results during the trial but the Army maintained that it is evaluating the general staff quality requirements. The dispute over the trial result has only widened the rift between the Army and the scientific establishment. The BrahMos officials claim that the missile had hit the target within the error probability. The Army claims that since it is going to be the end-user, it should be fully satisfied whether the weapon system is capable of delivering as per its requirements. That was the second test of the missile after a trial conducted in January had failed. . The missile was assigned to hit the target within a distance of around 40 km.

A test of the Brahmos Mark II on January 20 went awry in mid-flight after a successful launch, missing the target. That test was witnessed by the Indian army chief, General Deepak Kapoor, among others. While DRDO scientists concluded that a homing device on the Mark II version had failed and the missile missed the target by inches, Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor said he was present during the missile testing in Rajasthan recently and he insisted on visiting the target site and found that the missile had overshot by a kilometre. The target was 53 kilometres away from the missile launch site, he said.

After today's test, DRDO officials said the development phase of the Block II version of the missile was over and it was ready for induction in the Army and BrahMos, an Indo-Russian joint venture company would be able to start deliveries of the 240 missiles ordered by the Army in two years from now as per the original schedule. The Army has already inducted one regiment of the Block I version of the missile.

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