BrahMos-Sukhoi integration hastened

New Delhi, June 9

In a strategically significant move, the government has decided to fast-track integration of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles into over 40 Sukhoi fighter jets under a closely guarded project.

Official sources said the decision to speed up the implementation of the “strategic” project was taken nearly six weeks after the Balakot airstrikes and subsequent Pakistani retaliation. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL), an Indo-Russia joint venture, are implementing the project.

Considering IAF’s requirement, both HAL and BAPL were directed to expedite the implementation of the project so that it can be completed much before the scheduled deadline of December 2020, sources said.

The BrahMos, the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile, coupled with the superlative performance of the Sukhoi aircraft, will give the IAF a strategic reach and will allow it to dominate the ocean and the battle fields in the region, according to an assessment by the IAF.

Sources said the government had carried out a review of IAF’s February 26 airstrikes deep inside Pakistan’s Balakot and the consensus was that the adversary would not have dared to retaliate the next day, if India possessed superior air-defence system as well as strike capability. “In this context, the government decided to take a series of steps to bolster the IAF’s overall combat capability that included fast-tracking integration of BrahMos missiles into Sukhoi jets,” said a source.

Once the project to integrate the BrahMos missiles into the Sukhoi fleet is over, the Air Force’s capability to strike from large stand-off ranges on any target in the sea or land is expected to go up manifold. — PTI