Specialists of Russian-Indian company BrahMos Airspace Ltd have designed submarine-based version of BrahMos cruise missile, reported Interfax-AVN citing Praveen Pathak, the company's marketing director.
The first launch will be performed within the nearest months from drowned stand; then will start preparation for submarine launch, said Mr. Pathak at Indo Defense 2010 exhibition held in Jakarta.
According to him, development works on submarine-based version is primarily conducted in the interests of Indian Navy. Currently, ground- and ship-based BrahMos cruise missiles are being delivered to Indian Army and Navy. A big delivery contract was signed last year with Indian Army for ground-based CM BrahMos; the contract is being implemented on schedule, informed Mr. Pathak.
He pointed out that joint venture BrahMos Airspace Ltd is primarily oriented to execution of Indian defense ministry's orders.
Indian party hopes that newest Russian warships will be armed with BrahMos missiles; at least, Russian officials promised that, Praveen Pathak said.
According to him, foreign customers also take an active interest in BrahMos Airspace Ltd production.
Russian-Indian company BrahMos Airspace Ltd was established in 1998 in India to produce supersonic antiship missile. The initiators are Russian NPO Mashinostroyenia (Reutov, Moscow region) and India's Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). Constituent and statutory documents specified the company's business goal as "development, production, marketing, and sale of the cruise missile".
BrahMos missile was designed on the basis of Russian missile Yakhont which has compatible characteristics. Basic advantages of these missiles are high speed, variety of possible tactical schemes and usage methods, platform unification of the missile (sea-, submarine-, air-, and coast-based).