Pune (Maharashtra) [India], August 9 (ANI): The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is developing a next-generation BrahMos missile — a lighter, smaller variant of the current system — to enable deployment across a wider range of platforms, DRDO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Defence (R&D), Samir V Kamat, announced on Saturday.
Speaking in Pune on the sidelines of the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT) convocation ceremony, Kamat said the upcoming BrahMos-NG will be compatible with multiple platforms, unlike the existing version which can only be mounted on Sukhoi fighter jets.
“We are looking at BrahMos-NG, a smaller version of BrahMos, which can then be fitted on all our other platforms. Today, BrahMos can only be fitted on the Sukhoi platform, but if we can make it smaller, we can fit it on all our platforms. We are planning to start it soon,” Kamat stated.
Highlighting indigenous systems used during Operation Sindoor, Kamat noted that the current BrahMos served as the primary offensive weapon, launched from Sukhoi Mk1 aircraft, while the Akashteer air defence system played a key defensive role.
He explained that Akashteer’s networked sensors identified threats and guided the selection of appropriate weapons to neutralise them, supplemented by advanced early warning and control aircraft for surveillance.
Kamat also lauded the rapid progress of India’s defence R&D sector, pointing to record defence production figures.
For FY 2024-25, annual defence output reached ₹1,50,590 crore — an 18% rise from ₹1.27 lakh crore the previous year, and a 90% surge compared to ₹79,071 crore in FY 2019-20.
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