The Indian army ordered an additional batch of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles from the Russian-Indian BrahMos Aerospace joint venture. The BrahMos missile can carry a conventional warhead weighing up to 300 kg (660 pounds) to a range of 290 km (180 miles). It can also hit ground targets flying at an altitude as low as 10 meters (30 feet). With a top speed of Mach 2.8, it is about three times faster than the subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile of the US. Reports noted that India could purchase up to 1,000 BrahMos missiles for its armed forces in the next decade, and export around 2,000 during the same period1.

• 1. “Indian army orders additional BrahMos cruise missiles,” August 05, 2008, at http://en.rian.ru/world/20080805/115775137.html