The New Brahmos: Faster, Stealthier, Deadlier

- Rakesh Krishnan Simha

The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile has been described as the “Brahmastra for the Indian armed forces”. The supersonic PJ 10 is not quite in the same league as the mighty weapon of Lord Brahma, but it is certainly the fastest and most destructive non-nuclear missile on the planet. While the BrahMos triad of sea, land and air-launched missiles has set a new benchmark in warfare, it is the lighter NG – or Next Generation – variant that could become the star member of the BrahMos family.

Although three metres shorter and 50 per cent lighter than the nine-metre PJ 10, the BrahMos-NG is faster (Mach 3.5 versus Mach 2.8) and has a longer range (more than 300 km versus 290 km) than the PJ 10. More, it will have a newly developed AESA radar seeker in place of the mechanically scanned one. It also has a smaller RCS (radar cross section) compared to its predecessor, making it harder for air defence systems to locate and engage the target.

A smaller and lighter version was inevitable in the backdrop of the everchanging nature of warfare. While capable of travelling at blistering speeds, the original PJ 10 is a 3-tonne behemoth. Even the air-launched and modified BrahMos-A weighs 2.5 tonnes, which means it can be carried only by the largest Indian fighter: the 40 tonne Sukhoi Su-30MKI.

At just 1.5 tonnes, the NG variant will be light enough to be carried by the indigenously-built Tejas aircraft which is a 14-tonne aircraft. For the Indian Air Force (IAF), the new missile opens up a number of options. It could arm the Sukhois with a single PJ 10 or up to three of the lighter NGs. At the same time, the new version could suit deep penetration strike aircraft, such as the Jaguar and MiG-27, providing air cover to an Indian armoured thrust.