India to have hypersonic Brahmos II in five years

India hopes to have its next higher level multi-target missile, the ''Hypersonic Reusable Cruise Missile'', called “Brahmos II”, in the next five years, distinguished missile scientist and Defence Research Development Organisation’s (DRDO) Chief Controller (R and D) A Sivathanu Pillai said on Friday.

Also known as the “next version of the Sudarsana Chakra”, the Brahmos-II programme has been started with its design and basic technology development, Pillai said here on Friday, while delivering the prestigious “Dr V C Kulandaiswamy Endowment Lecture”’ at the Anna University to honour its former vice-chancellor.

The mission was to develop a multi-target, anti-ship/anti-land targets missile which travelling at a hypersonic speed (at a speed of ‘Mach 7), can “deliver the warhead, assess the destruction of target, come back and get ready to go again,” Pillai said, adding that the “Brahmos-II project” was also a joint venture with the Russians like the Brahmos-I. The scientist is also the Chief Executive and Managing Director of the “Brahmos Aerospace”, the Indo-Russian joint venture.

Yet, what will be unique about ‘Brahmos-II’ was that India will have the lead in this hypersonic missile technologically with “multiple versions” – it can also be used for underwater missions aimed at submarine targets, giving the country an extra edge in this class of missile, he noted. The DRDO, which is shouldering India’s “Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP)” since 1983 when A P J Abdul Kalam was at its helm, has a perspective plan till 2050, he added.

Terming the supersonic Brahmos I cruise missiles as a “wonderful product”, which the Indian Armed Forces alone was the first to possess such a missile, Pillai said it had already been inducted into our Army and Navy, and will be inducted in the Indian Air Force by the end of this year.