Su-30 MKI’s maiden test flight with BrahMos missile: 5 reasons why it’s important for IAF and India’s defence capability

Brahmos, the world’s “most formidable” supersonic cruise missile system, has been successfully integrated and test-flown with the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Su-30MKI frontline strike fighter!

With today’s successful flight, the BrahMos air version programme now inches closer towards actual test firing, when a 2.5-ton BrahMos air-to-ground missile will be fired from the Sukhoi-30 in the coming months. Today’s flight trial has been keenly observed by several other nations in the world in possession of the Su-30 strike fighter who are looking towards acquiring a lethal weapon system for the Russian-made warplanes.

Also read: BrahMos test-flown from Su-30 MKI fighter jet; world will envy IAF, says BrahMos Aerospace MD

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We take a look at 5 special facts about today’s development on BrahMos and why it’s important for IAF:

1) Integration of BrahMos supersonic missile system on Su-30 MKI will make the world envy Indian Air Force (IAF), says BrahMos Aerospace CEO & MD Sudhir Kumar Mishra. Speaking to FE Online after the test flight, Mishra said, “This is the most important step in the direction to giving the IAF incredible offensive capability on its frontline fighter aircraft.”

Mishra added that no country in the world has a missile system, the likes of BrahMos, integrated on its frontline fighter jets.

Also check: India’s BrahMos missile, ‘world’s fastest’, attracts global interest: 7 facts

2) The demonstration flight, carried out at HAL Nasik, involved carriage of Brahmos weapon on the long-range Sukhoi-30 fighter. This is a a major fillip to IAF.

3) Asked about when the missile system will be test-fired from the Su-30 MKI, Mishra expressed confidence that the test will take place in 2016 itself. “By the end of this year, IAF will be able to proudly say that it has the BrahMos firepower,” he said.

4) The powerful missile will enable the IAF penetrate deep inside the enemy territory to deliver a deadly blow to their vital installations from stand-off ranges. The integration brings a paradigm shift in the capability of the IAF vis-à-vis its adversaries.

The Su-30-BRAHMOS combination will carry out air combat operations within and beyond visibility range and will provide the IAF with the capability of attacking targets protected by powerful air defence assets.

5) Integration of BRAHMOS with the Su-30MKI will render the weapon a multi-platform capability while making the IAF the only Air Force in the world in procession of a supersonic cruise missile system.