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India Tests Fires Cruise Missile
India on Wednesday test fired a cruise missile jointly developed with Russia and capable of hitting Pakistan, officials said. The Brahmos missile, based on the Russian Yahont anti-ship missile, has a range of 185 miles, sufficient for hitting several cities in neighboring Pakistan. "The missile followed the predicted trajectory and accurately hit the target," Defense Minister George Fernandes was quoted as saying by Press Trust of India. The Brahmos soared off the Indian Navy's destroyer "Rajput" on Wednesday afternoon, PTI reported. The missile, which flies at twice the speed of sound, has undergone previous successful tests and is expected to be deployed next year, army officials say. Brahmos (short for Brahmaputra and Moscow) was set up in 1999 by India's Defense Research and Development Organization and Russia's State Unitary Enterprise NPO Mashinostroyenia. India expects to significantly enhance its long-range strike abilities with the missile, designed for use with land, sea and aerial platforms. The Indian Air Force reportedly is considering the possibility of fitting the Brahmos on its Russian-made Su-30 combat jets. Supersonic cruise missile with a 440 warhead. Pakistan is not happy about this. Posted by: Steve 2003-02-12 |
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