Aircraft
Joint venture BrahMos to arm India’s Flankers
India’s air force is planning to arm its growing fleet of Sukhoi Su-30MKI Flanker-H fighters with anti-ship missiles developed by the Russian-Indian joint

India’s air force is planning to arm its growing fleet of Sukhoi Su-30MKI Flanker-H fighters with anti-ship missiles developed by the Russian-Indian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace. The missiles are expected to be ready to enter service in 2012 and are intended to bolster the air force’s ability to neutralize naval threats while they are still far from India’s coast.

According to the manufacturer, the new missile’s speed (around Mach 3) gives it a better chance of beating a ship’s air defenses. It has a range of almost 157 nm, making it suitable for use in beyond-visual-range standoff attacks. The weapon is equipped with a smart guidance system that can be programmed for target identification and choice of attack priorities.