Nagpur: India will no longer have to depend on Russia for a significant part of the supersonic BrahMos missile. The Economic Explosives Limited (EEL), the defence arm of Nagpur-based Solar Group company, has delivered two units of the booster to BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL) used in the cruise missile. The boosters were handed over at a function held at EEL’s plant, 30 km from Nagpur. Till now India had to buy this booster from Russia. BAPL is an Indo-US Joint Venture. It has units in Hyderabad and Nagpur, according to a report in a local Hindi daily.
According to the report, work is also going on in these units on a smaller version of the BrahMos missile. Their size will be three times smaller than the current BrahMos and they can attack up to 300 km range. At the same time, EEL is the first company in India to manufacture boosters. This company has got an order to make 20 boosters. BAPL Managing Director Ajit Rane said there is more to be expected from the company. It may be able to make more boosters in the future. He said that the company would need at least 8 boosters in a month, the report added.
According to Rane, the booster is among the three process components which had originally come from Russia in the initial stages. These include — the seeker, sustainer engine and the booster. Now these boosters will be available in India only. At the same time, Solar Group Chairman Satyanarayan Nuwal said that the work of making warheads will start soon. In 2018 there was a transfer of technology with Solar Group. Nuwal said that this is a big achievement in terms of self-reliant India.
According to the Times of India report, BAPL makes several variants of the missile. BAPL has also received orders from the Philippines. India can also export missiles in future. Explain that the booster is used to give a certain speed to the missile’s engine. Earlier, EEE had also given indigenous 300 mm cartridges to the Indian Army. They are used for air defense on the ship.
Developing indigenous boosters is expected to reduce major dependence on imports. A missile has a ramjet engine which attains a speed in Mach. However, for the engine to reach up to a certain speed, the missile needs a push from the booster.
Earlier, the EEL had delivered the first batch of indigenously designed 30 mm ammunition to the Navy. The rounds are used for air defence on the ships, the report stated.
