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BrahMos missiles, which has been jointly developed by India and Russia, could reach a speed of 3.5 mach in two years, from the current speed of 2.8 mach, according to Sudhir Mishra, MD and CEO of BrahMos Aerospace.
Mach is a unit for measuring the speed of sound.
Mishra was interacting with the media on the sidelines of a Godrej Aerospace event here on Tuesday.
He said in four years, the speed could even reach 5 mach, which could be attained by optimising the materials and engines of the missiles. But beyond 5 mach the present engine of BrahMos cannot be used. It will require a scramjet (supersonic combustion) engine, which needs seven to ten years to develop.
Today, BrahMos missiles travel 2.8 times faster than the speed of sound. They have been developed by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India and NPO Mashinostroyenia of Russia.
Mishra said BrahMos Aerospace is already working for developing a scramjet. For developing scramjet engines, newer materials would be required, which could withstand ultra-high speeds and vibrations. After 10 years, the fruits of BrahMos Aerospace’s efforts would be known. The scramjet engine is being developed by BrahMos independently but some joint collaborations with Russians industry are also being made.
At Godrej Aerospace event, BrahMos Aerospace was handed over the 100th set of airframe assemblies for use in BraMmos missile systems. The airframe assembly is a part of the fuel management systems of the missile. It is manufactured by Godrej Aerospace, a unit of Godrej & Boyce.
BrahMos Aerospace has already placed orders for the next batch of 100 airframe assemblies, which gets manufactured at Godrej Group's industrial complex in Mumbai.
Chairman and Managing Director of Godrej & Boyce, Jamshyd Godrej said Godrej Aerospace is capable of making two frames a month and that capability would be soon doubled. It has taken 10 years for the company to develop the capabilities, manpower and equipment for making missile components, which is a very complex task.
The company is in the process of scaling up its operations, which does not require more investments for machinery. But additional manpower needs to be added. The company is looking at organising itself to deliver more on the assembly line. The investment phase for the company is over, now it is production phase, he said.
Godrej Aerospace has been associated with BrahMos programme since its inception in 2001.
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