Milestone of India - Milestone in Supersonic cruise missile test.

CHENNAI: BrahMos cruise missile was successfully test-fired on Sunday and the highlight of the mission was the missile performing a steep dive at a supersonic speed.

After its launch from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, off Orissa, and reaching a flat trajectory, the missile dived vertically. The missile performed the manoeuvre when it was flying at three times the speed of sound. Normally, a missile comes down gradually. This is a new capability proved by BrahMos, a product of India-Russia collaboration.

This was BrahMos' 23rd flight.

“It was an important mission. For the first time, a cruise missile was tested at a supersonic speed in a steep-dive mode,” said Chief Executive Officer of BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited A. Sivathanu Pillai.

“When you launch a missile, it goes up and reaches a flat trajectory. In this case, the BrahMos dove straight down from its flat trajectory while cruising at a supersonic speed,” he said.