BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile | UPSC
HEADLINES:
BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile
WHY IN NEWS:
BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile Successfully Test Fired from Indian Navy’s Stealth Destroyer, INS Chennai
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3: Defence : Missile Systems
LEARNING:
For PRELIMS note down the technologies and capabilities in your Prelims book ( which you think you will forget ). This question already has been asked in Prelims . But still , we have to cover this in depth !
For MAINS we also have covered Missile Systems in this article . Go through it carefully . Let us dive in !
ISSUE:
BRAHMOS – SUPERSONIC CRUISE MISSILE
- BRAHMOS is a two-stage missile with a solid propellant booster engine as its first stage which brings it to supersonic speed and then gets separated.
- Stealth technology and guidance system with advanced embedded software provides the missile with special features.
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
- BrahMos Aerospace Limited.
- Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
- NPO Mashinostroyeniya (Russia ).
RANGE
This leads to :
- Shorter flight time
- Consequently ensuring lower dispersion of targets
- Quicker engagement time
- Non-interception by any known weapon system in the world.
PRINICIPLE
- Its destructive power is enhanced due to large kinetic energy on impact.
- Its cruising altitude could be up to 15 km and terminal altitude is as low as 10 meters.
WARHEAD
Thus , BRAHMOS has:
- 3 times more velocity
- 2.5 to 3 times more flight range
- 3 to 4 times more seeker range
- 9 times more kinetic energy.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Universal for multiple platforms “Fire and Forget” principle of operation .
- High supersonic speed all through the flight Long flight range with varieties of flight trajectories
- Pin point accuracy with high lethal power aided by large kinetic energy on impact
- The missile has identical configuration for land, sea and sub-sea platforms.
- It uses a Transport Launch Canister (TLC) for transportation, storage and launch.
STATUS
- BRAHMOS is the first supersonic cruise missile known to be in service.
- All future ships being built and ships coming for mid-life upgradation will be fitted with the missile.
- The Indian Army has also inducted three regiments of BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile.
IN SERVICE
- Ship based Weapon Complex (Inclined & Vertical Configuration)
- Land based Weapon Complex ( Vertical Launch Configuration from Mobile Autonomous Launcher)
MISSILE SYSTEM
- The missile is designed keeping in mind its target, trajectory, warhead, range, velocity and launch platform.
PROPULSION SYSTEM
- The propulsion system in a missile is required to achieve terminal conditions like range, speed and warhead carrying capability.
- Some missiles use hybrid technology for propelling it to its intended point.
GUIDANCE SYSTEM
- The function of the guidance system is to maintain the missile in its desired flight path by using altitude control mechanism.
- The guidance system operates as an auto-pilot, damping out fluctuations that tend to deflect the missile from its intended flight path.
- In some missiles, the guidance commands are generated internally by the missile’s computer.
- In others, the commands are transmitted to the weapon by some external source.
AERODYNAMIC
- The aerodynamic features of a missile, also called controlling surfaces, are used to control the missile’s flight.
- The fins, wings and tail are the three major aerodynamic control surfaces used to steer the missile.
- The missile’s course can be altered by moving these controlling surfaces.
- The mechanism also works to determine the time of activating the warhead.
- After finding out the target, the device sends an electrical impulse to trigger the activation system.
- The target seeker is based either on radar or infra-red (IR) or laser devices.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- The warhead of a missile is selected keeping in mind its target type.
- It inflicts damage on the target and hence determines the missile’s lethality.
- The missile is required to cause destruction on hard targets, before detonation of warhead, penetration is achieved by employing a variety of technologies.
SOURCES: PIB | BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile | UPSC
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