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For the Navy, India purchases 35 BrahMos missiles for Rs. 1700 crore
According to the agreement between the ministry and BrahMos Aerospace, the missile manufacturer must provide the Indian Navy with 35 combat and three training BrahMos missile systems for its two Project 15B Ships, or guided-missile stealth destroyers of the Visakhapatnam class.
The defence ministry on Thursday signed a deal with BrahMos Aerospace for the purchase of 35 additional dual-role capable surface-to-surface BrahMos missiles for the Indian Navy, providing a significant boost to the government’s ambitious Aatmanirbhar Bharat mission in the defence manufacturing sector.
The addition of missile systems would greatly improve the naval force’s fleet assets’ operating capacity. According to the agreement between the ministry and Brahmos Aerospace, the missile manufacturer would be expected to provide the Indian Navy with 35 combat and three training BrahMos missile systems for its two Project 15B Ships, which are guided-missile stealth destroyers of the Visakhapatnam class.
In November of last year in Mumbai, the Indian Navy commissioned the first warship of the Visakhapatnam-class or P-15B. An updated version of the BrahMos anti-ship missile was successfully tested by INS Visakhapatnam within two months of its introduction.
On February 18 of current year, another successful test-firing was conducted after that.
The P-15B or Visakhapatnam Class currently has four warships scheduled for induction. The warships are the Mormugao, Surat, Imphal, and Visakhapatnam.
The P-15B-Mormugao, the second ship, has successfully completed its initial sea testing and is about to be enlisted. By 2024, the other two ships ought to be in service.
2011 saw the signing of the Rs 35,800 crore contract for the building of these four ships. It should be remembered that the contract was signed just a few weeks after Kochi, India’s first-ever indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, was commissioned by the Indian Navy. It wouldn’t be completely operational for another two years.
In order to give the new generation of Surface-to-Surface Missiles (SSMs) a greater range and dual function capabilities for land and anti-ship attacks, India and Russia have formed the joint venture company BrahMos Aerospace.
“This contract is going to give a further boost to indigenous production of the critical weapon system and ammunition with the active participation of indigenous industry,” the ministry said.
