The trial of BrahMos succeeded

India successfully test-fired a BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a military base in the northeastern coastal state of Orissa, the Press Trust of India (PTI) said.

The supersonic cruise missile with precision strike capability was test-fired from a mobile launcher at 11:00 local time (05:30 GMT) from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur.

"The trial was successful," defense sources told PTI without elaborating.

In the last BrahMos test on September 5 the cruise missile hit the target at supersonic speed in steep-dive mode for the first time.

Established in 1998, BrahMos Aerospace Ltd, a Russian-Indian joint venture manufactures supersonic cruise missiles based on the Russian-designed NPO Mashinostroyenie 3M55 Yakhont (SS-N-26).

The BrahMos missile has a range of 290 km (180 miles) and can carry a conventional warhead of up to 300 kg (660 lbs). It can effectively engage targets from an altitude as low as 10 meters (30 feet) and has a top speed of Mach 2.8, which is about three times faster than the U.S.-made subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile.

Sea- and ground-launched versions have been successfully tested and put into service with the Indian Army and Navy.

All rights reserved by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.