The Diplomat:
The Indian Ministry of Defense’s (MoD) research arm, the Defense Research Development Organization (DRDO), is expected to test fire an extended-range supersonic BrahMos cruise missile by the end of 2018, according to Indian government officials quoted by local media outlets last week.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) will test fire the extended-range air-launched variant of the BrahMos, designated BrahMos-ER, from a Sukhoi Su-30 MKI multirole air superiority fighter jet. The new missile will purportedly be capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 800 kilometers.
In March 2017, DRDO for the first time test fired a BrahMos-ER missile with a “much higher range than the current range of 290 km,” the Indian Ministry of Defense cryptically noted. Estimates put the range of the tested missile at 400-600 kilometers. Increasing the missiles’ range became possible after India joined the Missile Technology Control Regime in June 2016.
