Brahmos Supersonic Cruise Missile : News, Updates and Discussions

Gautam said:
In theory they should fit the same VLS.

Nirbhay missile
Length: 6 m
Diameter: 0.52 m
Weight: 1.5 tons

Brahmos Block III
Length: 8.4 m
Diameter: 0.6 m
Weight: 3 tons

And targeted specs of Brahmos NG
Length: 5.4 m (3m less than Block III)
Diameter: ?? (should be less than Block III)
Weight: 1.5 tons (50% of Block III)

Remember the Brahmos NG specs we know is from the time when India was outside the MTCR. The range of the NG was kept limited to 290km then. That may not be the case anymore. Also Nirbhay project is now closed & in its place we are going to get the ITCM. Who knows what size that is going to have.

Nirbhay's 1500km range seemed alright for 2013, when it began testing. Now we have a Brahmos variant that may go up to that range. Many of the global peers of the Nirbhay missile have significantly greater range, we need to keep pace here. May be instead of bringing the Brahmos down to Nirbhay's size we should do the opposite. Make the ITCM as big as Brahmos Block III, like the Russian Kalibr missile. That should increase the range by 500 km at least.
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Are you sure about Nirbhay's range? I mean the tested range. The longest duration flight time achieved is 1hour 10 minutes with Russian engine, since it's a subsonic missile it might have covered just over 1000 kilometres. If I am not wrong ,in all other successful test missile has flown below 700 km range.

I even doubtful about the project success too. Since it's our baby we are hesitant to call it's a failed project, more than 50% test flights were ended up as failures and out of the successful test none of the test has involved full 1500km range firing, even the latest test which involves indigenous engine too ended up in failure, remember that was the first test involving an indigenous engine inside Nirbhay . Glad that they shelved this project and moved to New missile design.
 
Hydra said:
Are you sure about Nirbhay's range? I mean the tested range. The longest duration flight time achieved is 1hour 10 minutes with Russian engine, since it's a subsonic missile it might have covered just over 1000 kilometres.
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Yes around 1100 km if I remember correctly. 1500 km was the spec range, it was never tested upto that range.
Hydra said:
I even doubtful about the project success too. Since it's our baby we are hesitant to call it's a failed project, more than 50% test flights were ended up as failures and out of the successful test none of the test has involved full 1500km range firing,
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The project started with the stated goal of developing a deployable subsonic LRCM. Then it was demoted to a technology demonstrator. That alone is a failure.

The project's success depends on definitions now. If it was a LRCM development then the project failed. If it was a TD then it succeeded. Whatever be the definition at the end of the day we don't have a mass deployable missile.
Hydra said:
even the latest test which involves indigenous engine too ended up in failure, remember that was the first test involving an indigenous engine inside Nirbhay
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That is the most troubling failures to date. If it wasn't an engine issue then there is some respite. If it was an engine issue, the upcoming ITCM will take long to complete development.
Hydra said:
Glad that they shelved this project and moved to New missile design.
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Will it be a new design though ? I have seen some preliminary designs where they are looking at a very Nirbhay like body. Instead of a round cross-section like the Nirbhay they are considering using a oval shape (among other shapes). Though that might be problematic for wing deployment. For engines they are using the same set up as the Nirbhay: solid rocket booster followed by a turbofan. They are checking feasibility of shortening the solid rocket booster & increasing the size of the turbofan's fuel tank. This is expected to increase the ITCM's range.

These are still preliminary studies though, but it doesn't look like the ITCM will be radically different from the Nirbhay.
 
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Hydra said:
Are you sure about Nirbhay's range? I mean the tested range. The longest duration flight time achieved is 1hour 10 minutes with Russian engine, since it's a subsonic missile it might have covered just over 1000 kilometres. If I am not wrong ,in all other successful test missile has flown below 700 km range.

I even doubtful about the project success too. Since it's our baby we are hesitant to call it's a failed project, more than 50% test flights were ended up as failures and out of the successful test none of the test has involved full 1500km range firing, even the latest test which involves indigenous engine too ended up in failure, remember that was the first test involving an indigenous engine inside Nirbhay . Glad that they shelved this project and moved to New missile design.
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Nirbhay was a TD project which achieved its objectives. It was never suppose to cross 1000km but it did. New engine is designed to be far more efficient than anything Russian. DRDO is confident with it thus we have 3-4 new projects based on it.
 
Hydra said:
Are you sure about Nirbhay's range? I mean the tested range. The longest duration flight time achieved is 1hour 10 minutes with Russian engine, since it's a subsonic missile it might have covered just over 1000 kilometres. If I am not wrong ,in all other successful test missile has flown below 700 km range.

I even doubtful about the project success too. Since it's our baby we are hesitant to call it's a failed project, more than 50% test flights were ended up as failures and out of the successful test none of the test has involved full 1500km range firing, even the latest test which involves indigenous engine too ended up in failure, remember that was the first test involving an indigenous engine inside Nirbhay . Glad that they shelved this project and moved to New missile design
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Well no surprise this project falls under ADE worst performing lab of DRDO.
 
Gautam said:
That is the most troubling failures to date. If it wasn't an engine issue then there is some respite. If it was an engine issue, the upcoming ITCM will take long to complete development.

Will it be a new design though ? I have seen some preliminary designs where they are looking at a very Nirbhay like body. Instead of a round cross-section like the Nirbhay they are considering using a oval shape (among other shapes). Though that might be problematic for wing deployment. For engines they are using the same set up as the Nirbhay: solid rocket booster followed by a turbofan. They are checking feasibility of shortening the solid rocket booster & increasing the size of the turbofan's fuel tank. This is expected to increase the ITCM's range.

These are still preliminary studies though, but it doesn't look like the ITCM will be radically different from the Nirbhay.
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Regarding last test,we don't know what went wrong,Atleast in the public domain. We should have carried another test with same engine.

Nirbhay development was started when we are not a member of MTCR, so now we have the freedom of grabbing external help. We can hope for the best results with upcoming cruise missiles, I feel we yet to master the contour mapping flight over land & magnetic contour mapping over oceans.
 
Gautam said:
Yes around 1100 km if I remember correctly. 1500 km was the spec range, it was never tested upto that range.

The project started with the stated goal of developing a deployable subsonic LRCM. Then it was demoted to a technology demonstrator. That alone is a failure.

The project's success depends on definitions now. If it was a LRCM development then the project failed. If it was a TD then it succeeded. Whatever be the definition at the end of the day we don't have a mass deployable missile.

That is the most troubling failures to date. If it wasn't an engine issue then there is some respite. If it was an engine issue, the upcoming ITCM will take long to complete development.

Will it be a new design though ? I have seen some preliminary designs where they are looking at a very Nirbhay like body. Instead of a round cross-section like the Nirbhay they are considering using a oval shape (among other shapes). Though that might be problematic for wing deployment. For engines they are using the same set up as the Nirbhay: solid rocket booster followed by a turbofan. They are checking feasibility of shortening the solid rocket booster & increasing the size of the turbofan's fuel tank. This is expected to increase the ITCM's range.

These are still preliminary studies though, but it doesn't look like the ITCM will be radically different from the Nirbhay.
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Nirbhay is not only limited produced but deployed as well in certain sectors. News had came long back as well.
 
RISING SUN said:
Nirbhay is not only limited produced but deployed as well in certain sectors. News had came long back as well.
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A single unverified report by a journalist who makes such random claims. Never confirmed by anyone else. Its very unlikely for services to accept anything without project completion.
 
Now this is confusing. The Nirbhay program was closed , isn't it? The learnings were to be implemented on a newer subsonic family of missiles...
 
Ankit Kumar said:
Now this is confusing. The Nirbhay program was closed , isn't it? The learnings were to be implemented on a newer subsonic family of missiles...
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This missile is basically Nirbhay Mk2, with an Indian turbofan engine.
Ankit Kumar said:
Now this is confusing. The Nirbhay program was closed , isn't it? The learnings were to be implemented on a newer subsonic family of missiles...
Click to expand...

This missile is basically Nirbhay Mk2, with an Indian turbofan engine.
 
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