BrahMos missile to be inducted into Air Force in 2012

The country's prestigious 'BrahMos' missile would be inducted into the Air Force in 2012 that would ensure all the three

wings of the military are equipped with the supersonic cruise missile, a top defence official said on Wednesday.

"We have developed the airborne missile part, and process of integrating it with the aircraft 'Sukhoi' was progressing", BrahMos Aerospace Ltd CMD A Shivathanu Pillai said at the BrahMos Aerospace's facility here.

Trial run of airborne BrahMos missile would be held next year and the target was to integrate it with the aircraft in 2012, he said.

As far as integration of the missile was concerned, the original designers of the aircraft were also involved, he said.

"We are working with them (Sukhoi). Some changes are necessary and once the alteration is identified, we will introduce the same in the aircraft," Pillai said.

With that, all the three wings of Indian military -- Air Force, Navy and Army -- would have the supersonic missile 'BrahMos', he said.

Development of a new version of BrahMos missile, involving a technology that would discriminate the target and attack, in 2009 was a major achievement, he added.

Three flights on the new version had proved successful and the army would be inducting two more of this version shortly, Pillai said.

On the next generation cruise missile, he said hypersonic BrahMos missile was in design stage