Quote:Vladimir Radyuhin MOSCOW: Pilot production of the air-launched version of the India-Russia BrahMos missile has started in Russia in line with plans to fit it in the IAF's Su-30MKI fighter aircraft by 2012.



The first few missiles for factory tests have been manufactured at the Strela production association in the Orenburg Region, the Regnum news agency reported quoting regional government head Sergei Grachyov. Once the ground tests were completed, the plant would launch series production of the airborne missile, he said.



The 2.55-tonne BrahMos supersonic anti-ship missile has been modified, shedding 500 kg and getting a new ignition engine to fire the missile at high altitudes.



The Su-30MKI also required modifications to fit the missile under its belly and integrate it into the plane's fire control system. The Sukhoi Corporation is working to strengthen the wings so that two more missiles can be fitted in the flanks.



Flight tests



Flight tests of the air-launched BrahMos are expected next year, and the IAF plans to begin inducting the BrahMos-armed Su-30MKI in 2012. Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of BrahMos Aerospace A.S. Pillai said earlier this month that 40 IAF Su-30MKI aircraft would be armed with BrahMos missiles.



Experts said the BrahMos-armed Su-30MKI would be a game changer in the Indian Ocean, giving the IAF a deeper strategic reach and an extra deadly punch. With a range of 290 km, the missile will allow the pilot to hit enemy vessels while staying well outside the reach of their air defences. Travelling at a top speed of Mach 2.8 barely 3-4 metres above the sea surface, the missile cannot be intercepted by any known weapon system in the world.



Russia's Irkut Corporation, which manufactures Sukhoi aircraft, counts on the air-launched BrahMos missile to increase the demand for Su-30 fighters in international markets.



“Initial studies suggest that we will be able to produce 250 more Su-30s armed with BrahMos missiles,” said Vladimir Sautov, vice-president for marketing.



The sea and ground-launch versions of BrahMos missiles have already been successfully tested and put into service by the Indian Army and Navy. So far, the missiles have been assembled at the Strela plant, and manufacturing facilities are also being set up in Thiruvananthapuram with Russian assistance.



BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between India and Russia, has started designing a hypersonic version of the BrahMos missile, BrahMos–II.

Quote:by Maayana Miskin



Israel has begun turning down Turkey's requests to buy certain advanced weapons, according to the military news and analysis sites Jane's Defense Weekly and DEBKAfile. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan has made scathingly anti-Israel remarks, and has [url="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/135478"]drawn closer to Syria and Iran[/url].



According to the report, the Turkish navy was interested in acquiring the Barak 8 missile interceptor, a system developed jointly by Israel and India. The system provides 360-degree coverage from missile or air attack.



Israeli sources said Turkey's request was rejected over fears that Turkey would allow Iran to study the technology.



Indian military leaders were also against the sale, fearing, like Israel, that the technology would be shared with Iran. From there, it could be traded to Pakistan in exchange for nuclear technology, they worried, giving the Pakistani army a technological boost.



The Israeli air force has been blocked from Turkish air space for training. India has developed close military ties with Israel and may be a possible solution.



In November 2009, DEBKAfile reported that Erdogan had promised Iran that it would have Turkish support in case of an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites. Turkey agreed to pass on any intelligence information suggesting that Israel or the United States was preparing a strike on Iran, the report stated. (IsraelNationalNews.com)

Quote:April 6, 2010: India has agreed to buy two more BrahMos missile regiments for the army, and to supply the BrahMos for the air force as well. The new regiments will have a more advanced block II missiles, which are more accurate and reliable at hitting pinpoint targets (like headquarters or technical installations) in crowded urban environments. The air launched version weighs 2.5 tons, the army and navy ones weigh three tons or more. The air force wants an even smaller, and lighter version of BrahMos, and the government has agreed to fund that work as well. India and Russia developed the weapon together, and now offer the BrahMos for export. [color="#0000ff"]The high price of each missile, about $2-3 million (depending on the version), restricts the number of countries that can afford it.[/color] The weapon entered service with the Indian navy in 2005.



[color="#0000ff"]Two years ago, India ordered 800 more of the new PJ-10 BrahMos missiles.[/color] Russia has not yet ordered any BrahMos, while India is also working on lighter versions for use by aircraft and submarines. The 3.2 ton BrahMos has a range of 300 kilometers and a 660 pound warhead. Perhaps the most striking characteristic is its high speed, literally faster (at up to 3,000 feet per second) than a rifle bullet. The maximum speed of 3,000 kilometers an hour makes it harder to intercept, and means it takes five minutes or less to reach its target. Guidance is GPS or inertial to reach the general area of the target (usually a ship or other small target), then radar that will identify the specific target and hit it. The warhead weighs 660 pounds, and the high speed at impact causes additional damage (because of the weight of the entire missile.)



The 9.4 meter (29 foot) long, 670mm diameter missile is an upgraded version of the Russian SS-NX-26 (Yakhont) missile, which was still in development when the Cold War ended in 1991. Lacking money to finish development and begin production, the Russian manufacturer eventually made a deal with India to finish the job. India put up most of the $240 million needed to finally complete two decades of development. The PJ-10 is being built in Russia and India, with the Russians assisting India in setting up manufacturing facilities for cruise missile components. Efforts are being made to export up to 2,000, but no one has placed an order yet. Russia and India are encouraged enough to invest in BrahMos 2, which will use a scramjet, instead of a ramjet, in the second stage. This would double speed, and make the missile much more difficult to defend against.



India plans to make the missile a major weapon system. The BrahMos can carry a nuclear warhead, but is designed mainly to go after high value targets that require a large warhead and great accuracy. The BrahMos could take out enemy headquarters, or key weapons systems (especially those employing electronic or nuclear weapons.)

Quote:By Douglas Barrie, Neelam Mathews

London, New Delhi



India intends to integrate a variant of its Nirbhay long-range cruise missile on the Suhkoi Su-30MKI Flanker strike aircraft, following the weapon’s initial development in the ground-launch configuration.



The addition of the Nirbhay to the Flanker’s weapons inventory would give the platform a long-range—and potentially strategic—strike capability. While details on the Nirbhay program remain scant, Indian officials have suggested the weapon will have a range of 800-1,000 km. (500-620 mi.).



An air-launched derivative of the Nirbhay would be a candidate platform for the air force element of India’s strategic nuclear triad ambitions. Packaging of a warhead in the constrained space of a cruise-missile body is a key technical challenge. The current Indian air force nuclear weapon capability consists almost certainly only of free-fall weapons.



The Nirbhay project is being led by India’s Defense Research and Development Organization’s (DRDO) Hyderabad-based Advanced Systems Laboratory.



The overall design and aerodynamic study work has been completed, as has the design of the propulsion system. There are suggestions that a mock-up of the design could be displayed at the AeroIndia show in 2011. A transporter erector launch vehicle is already being developed for the ground-launched version of the cruise missile by the DRDO’s Pune-based Research and Development Establishment (Engineering).



The acquisition of a 1,000-km.-class cruise missile is part of New Delhi’s strategy to match and surpass systems being developed by Islamabad. Pakistan is working on a ground-launched cruise missile called the Babur, likely with substantial Chinese help, and is probably receiving support from South Africa in developing the Ra’ad air-launched weapon. The Babur was unveiled in 2005 and the shorter-range Ra’ad was announced in 2007. The service status of both weapons remains uncertain.



Development of the Nirbhay apparently began at least five years ago. It would be the third indigenous weapon to equip the Su-30MKI, joining the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile—a variant of the NPO Mashinostroenia 3M55 (SS-N-26)—and the Astra medium-range air-to-air missile. The Nirbhay would have three times the range of the Brahmos. The army is also acquiring a ground-launched land-attack version of the Brahmos alongside the system in development for the air force.



An air-launched variant of the subsonic Nirbhay “is in the initial stages,” says an Indian industry official. There are “plans for it, but not immediately,” he adds.



The Nirbhay likely adopts a conventional cruise missile configuration with some form of flip-out mid-body wing and cruciform tail surfaces. The turbofan engine most likely will be recessed in the airframe body, given the requirement that the weapon be canister-launch-capable.



It is not yet clear which turbojet India plans to use for the Nirbhay. [color="#0000ff"]{>>Arun: If one looks hard into DRDO/Defense establishment publications from last 7 years one can easily determine the size and thrust of the engine that will power Nirbhay}[/color]. It did strike a deal with Russia over the supply and in-country manufacture of the Saturn 36MT engine in 2006, though the extent to which this deal has been implemented is uncertain.



There are also suggestions that India’s development program has had some technical support from Israel.



Given the [color="#800080"]size of the Nirbhay—reports suggest it is 6 meters (19.6 ft.)[/color]—the Su-30MKI would likely carry one or two of the missiles. To maximize platform range, the aircraft could carry one weapon on a pylon in the tunnel between the two engine bays. This is the approach being taken with the Brahmos missile, which is now scheduled to begin initial launch trials from a test aircraft in 2011. If the aircraft were to carry two Nirbhays, one could fit under each inboard wing-station.



New Delhi has also yet to disclose what kinds of mid-course and terminal guidance the Nirbhay will use. India and Russia did, however, strike a deal this year allowing Indian access to the high-precision signal of Moscow’s Glonass satellite navigation system.



In terms of medium-range standoff weapons, the Indian air force’s Su-30MKI can carry the Russian Missile Corp. Kh-59M (AS-18 Kazoo). A conventional variant of the Nirbhay, with the requisite level of accuracy, would provide a long-range precision-strike complement to the Kh-59M.

Quote:Y. Mallikarjun HYDERABAD: After two failures in a row, a flight test of Agni-II, nuclear weapon capable intermediate range surface-to-surface missile, is scheduled to be conducted from the Wheeler's Island off the Orissa coast on May 17.



A team from the Strategic Forces Command will conduct the “user trial” of the 2,000 km plus range weapon system.



It will be picked up randomly from the production lot since the missile has already been inducted.



Defence Research and Development Organisation officials told The Hindu that the test was meant to re-establish confidence and confirm the missile's readiness in the wake of two failed flight tests in May and November last year.



On both the occasions, Agni-II tumbled into the sea after losing its speed and deviating from its flight path, just before the separation of the second stage of the missile. The two trials were carried out by Strategic Forces Command personnel as part of user training exercise.



The officials attributed the failure during the previous tests to “quality-related problems” and said there was “no fundamental flaw” with the design.



With the successful test-firing of the 3,500-km plus range Agni-III in February and the 700-km range Agni-I in March this year, this would be the first time that all the three Agni class of missiles will be tested in such a short time.



The two-stage solid-propelled, Agni-II is 21 metres tall and capable of carrying a payload of one tonne to a distance of 2,000 km.



It has a special navigation system to improve accuracy and a manoeuvring re-entry vehicle enabling it to change course during re-entry.



It is also equipped with anti-ballistic missile defence counter measures.