The supersonic BrahMos missiles will be fitted on to Sukhoi-30 fighter jets and will be ready for live flight tests by the year end before being inducted into the air force.
A Sivathanu Pillai, CEO & MD, BrahMos Aerospace, said launching BrahMos from air is a big challenge as it is a moving platform. The Sukhoi itself needed to be modified structurally to hold the heavy missile and the missile’s weight was also reduced. This has been completed and the design has been validated through various tests.
“We are in a stage now to do the integrated test with the BrahMos missiles in Sukhoi jets. This will take some time,” he said.
The integration effort needs $50-million investment.