India test fires supersonic missile from ship

PANNAJI/NEW DELHI
AGENCIES

India on Wednesday successfully test-fired BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the Navy’s latest Russian built guided missile frigate INS Tarkash off the Goa coast.
According to Indian media, the missile performed the high-level ‘C’ manoeuvre in the pre-determined flight path and successfully hit the target.
The submarine-launched version of the missile was “successfully” tested near Visakhapatnam coast, Indian media said.
“The launch was carried out by the navy as part of Acceptance Test Firing (ATF) of the ship.”
INS Tarkash, an advanced Talwar Class frigate, was commissioned on November 9, 2012.
The warship, along with two other frigates of the class – INS Teg and INS Trikand – have been built as part of an over Rs 8,000 crore contract signed between India and Russia in July 2006.
The weapons suite of INS Tarkash includes surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missile systems, 100 mm medium-range gun, close-in weapon system, torpedo tubes and anti-submarine rockets.
All the three ships will be equipped with eight vertical- launched BrahMos missile systems as the prime strike weapon. The new missile frigates are designed to accomplish a wide range of maritime missions, primarily hunting down and destroying large surface ships and submarines.
Officials said the vertical launch configuration of the supersonic missile enhanced the stealth capabilities of the ship as the missiles are under the deck and not exposed.
Jointly developed by India and Russia, the missile is capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 300 kg. The missile can cruise at a maximum speed of 2.8 Mach (or 2.8 times the speed of sound).