Context: In the recent meeting of the National Security Advisors of India and Russia, the possibility of joint development of the hypersonic version of BrahMos or BrahMos-II missile was discussed.
Hypersonic Weapon Systems (HWS)
- Hypersonic weapon systems are advanced military technologies that can travel at extremely high speeds, typically defined as Mach 5 or higher (five times the speed of sound).
- These weapons are designed to be extremely manoeuvrable, able to change course quickly during flight and evade enemy defence systems.
- They are different from ballistic missiles, which can also travel at hypersonic speeds (of at least Mach 5) but have set trajectories and limited manoeuvrability.
- There are two main categories of hypersonic weapons: hypersonic glide vehicles and hypersonic cruise missiles.
- Hypersonic glide vehicles are launched from a rocket. The glide vehicle then separates from the rocket and “glides” at speeds of at least Mach 5 toward a target.
- Hypersonic cruise missiles are powered by high-speed, air-breathing engines.
- HWS are capable of carrying out launches from a variety of platforms, including ground-based systems, aircraft, and submarines.
- They are typically designed to carry conventional or nuclear warheads and are seen as a potential game-changer in military operations, particularly in terms of their speed, range, and ability to penetrate enemy defences.
- The United States, Russia and China are developing hypersonic weapons.
BrahMos-II Missile
- BrahMos-II is a hypersonic cruise missile currently under joint development by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyenia, which have together formed BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited.
- BrahMos-II is expected to be capable of travelling at speeds of over Mach 7 (possibly reaching Mach 8) and has a range of around 620 miles (1000 kms).
- It is being designed to be launched from multiple platforms, including land, air, and sea.
- It is likely to have the same characteristics as Russia's Tsircon missile.
Key Facts
- India is a party to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), which allows the country to develop a missile with a range of over 300 km and weighing more than 500 kg but not to export it to other countries.
- The export version of BrahMos is capped at 290 km to comply with the MTCR restrictions of 300 km.