Brahmos is not high-tech and cannot compete with Naval Strike Missile, RBS-15, or Exocet missiles regarding technological superiority.
Based on Soviet design P-800 Oniks, Brahmos is a joint venture between the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Russian Federation’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya, who have formed BrahMos Aerospace together.
The P-800 Oniks, designed in 1983 and marketed for export as the Yakhont, is a Soviet supersonic anti-ship cruise missile developed by NPO Mashinostroyeniya as a ramjet version of the P-80 Zubr. Its GRAU designation is 3M55. The air-launched Kh-61 variant was planned but never built. The missile has the NATO codename SS-N-26 “Strobile.”
Brahmos has a semi-active radar homing seeker and an inertial navigation system. The Russian-made semi-active home seeker is inaccurate due to Soviet-era electronics and an inaccurate navigation guidance system. India had numerous failed launches due to its propulsion and navigation system malfunctioning.
The main reason Russia wanted to coproduce P-800 Oniks under the name of ‘Brahmos’ because of Western sanctions, Russia cannot source Western electronics fitted into Russian missiles. India can source those electronics and pass them on to Russia.
Anti-Chinese sentiment played a part
The nature of the People’s Republic of China’s stance in pushing its territorial ambitions has caused these Pacific counties to seek a response. A concept intended to counter the most extreme of these infringements that fall within the means of these threatened countries is called “Anti-Access”. Pacific nations are increasingly adopting this defence approach. One of the keys and more economically affordable tools for establishing Anti-Access are Anti-Ship Missiles (ASM). The ASM which is becoming the system of choice is India’s Brahmos.
BrahMos is a supersonic (Mach 2.8) missile with a range of 290 km. Its speed is initially achieved through a solid-propellant first stage and then a fuel-efficient ram-jet flight to the target. Available in versions for launch from land, surface, and subsurface maritime platforms.
The lethality of the 300 kg warhead of the land-launched version is enhanced by the kinetic energy generated by the speed with which it impacts the target. It’s a fire-and-forget guidance that also provides flight paths that can vary from altitudes of 14,000 m to as low as 15 meters above the ground/water in cruise and 15 meters terminal flight.
The land-launched BrahMos is highly mobile and utilises multi-axle transporters.
The BrahMos is cheaper to buy than Western missiles, making it an ideal investment for Asian countries. It is also a Russian and Indian self-controlled missile not subject to American or Western approval although fitted with Western electronics.
Indonesia is set to ink a deal for the India-made BrahMos missile. The Philippines has already inducted the naval variant of BrahMos, and Vietnam and Malaysia are showing interest in the medium-range missile. This is how an assertive China’s posturing and actions boost demand for BrahMos missiles.
For India, the BrahMos missile has become one of the leading system exports of the Indian defence industry. Consequently, several failed launches in the Philippines will prompt other buyers to stop buying this low-grade missile.
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