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| India-Pakistan |
| India to deploy cruise missiles near Chinese border |
| 2009-10-14 |
| In a bid to deter China and bolster IndiaÂ’s defence along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India has plans to have BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir. These missiles have a range of 300 km and in case of a Chinese offensive, would be able to hit tactical and strategic targets in Tibet. They would be able to fly over the mountains and hit targets and are very fast and almost impossible to counter. BrahMos is a two-stage missile. It is nine metres tall and weighs 3.9 tonnes with the canister. It can be launched from ships, silos and road and rail mobile launchers. It has a strike range of 290 km and can carry a conventional warhead weighing 300 kg. This is apart from the plans to have tanks in Ladakh, also more choppers, infantry and more troops. The area has been found to be level, being a plateau, and tanks can be used there. The idea is to build a counter offensive capacity. Also, troops outside Kashmir will be earmarked for Ladakh, if necessary. The BrahMos project is a joint venture between Defence Research and Development Organisation and RussiaÂ’s NPO Mashinostroeyenia who have together formed the BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited. The supersonic missile travels at the speed of Mach 2.5 to 2.8 and is the worldÂ’s fastest cruise missile. It is about three-and-a-half times faster than the subsonic Harpoon cruise missile of the United States. BrahMos claims to have the capability of attacking surface targets as low as 10 meters in altitude. It can gain a speed of Mach 2.8, and has a maximum range of 290 km. The ship-launched and land-based missiles can carry a 200-kilogram warhead, whereas the aircraft-launched variant can carry a 300-kilogram warhead. |
| Posted by:john frum |
| #1 Gotta wonder how it will behave at altitude. |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2009-10-14 22:12 |