BrahMos: On the launch pad

The formalities of the terms of India's sale of missile technology are cleared between Russia and India

Akash Bisht Delhi

After some anxious moments between traditional military allies, India and Russia, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his December 2005 visit to Moscow, finally signed the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) pact on which rested the fate of India's rights to sell the technology of the BrahMos missile. The multi-role supersonic cruise missile (MRCM), named after the rivers Brahmaputra and Moskva, is a joint-venture between the two countries. Implicit in the IPR pact was the agreement to export it to certain "friendly countries". The authorities of the two countries would narrow the specific buyers in accordance with policies mutually laid down.

Russia insisted on the pact out of concern that India would pass on tactical information to other countries. The pact forbids the export of the technology without the permission of the parent country.

Certain sections of the media remain sceptical. They feel that the PM's visit to Russia resulted in a face-saving compromise; a final formula is pending. The Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of BrahMos Sivathanu Pillai, elaborated, "Both countries have carefully drawn a list of countries to which the missile can be exported after assessing the diplomatic relations of India and Russia. A team headed by Sergei Ivanov, Russian Defence Minister, told us that they were also interested in exporting the technology as it was part of the BrahMos programme agreement."

Not surprisingly, many countries that are omitted from this list have evinced manifest interest in acquiring the missile. BrahMos is the only supersonic precision missile in the world. Making it more attractive is the fact that it does not fall under the purview of the Missile Control Technology Regime, an informal partnership between 34 countries to prevent the proliferation of missile technology. It restricts sales of missiles, complete rocket systems, unmanned air vehicles, and related technology for those systems capable of carrying a 500 kg payload for at least 300 km. The ship-launched and naval-based BrahMos missile has a 200 kg warhead, while the air-launched variant BrahMos (A) has a 300 kg warhead. Thus these variants are designed in accordance with MTCR so that the missile and its technology can easily be exported to different countries without being involved in proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

BrahMos Aerospace has exhibited its products at different international and aerospace exhibitions in Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Brazil, Chile, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa, Thailand and Russia. "BrahMos has been on display at various national and international exhibitions and has been able to grab a lot of attention at all these exhibitions. Delegates from different countries have shown interest in the missile and have continuously kept track of all developments at BrahMos Aerospace," informed Praveen Pathak, Marketing Executive BrahMos Aerospace. When queried about so much display of the missile, Pathak told that it helps to "sensitise the product and creates awareness".

BrahMos' flexibility of being launched from different platforms at different positions and to attack surface targets at as low as an altitude of 10 meters, capable of covering targets over a "360 degree horizon", zero-error probability and an unmatched speed of Mach 2.8, with a maximum range of 290 km give the missile a decisive edge over all its competitors. While all other anti-ship missiles travel at sub-sonic speed, BrahMos travels at twice the speed of sound and can carry a nuclear warhead with little alterations. Its supersonic speed makes it hard to be detected by radars. That makes it almost invincible.