The third successful test-firing of the BrahMos-1 Block-3 supersonic land-attack cruise missile took place at 10.38am on July 8, 2014 from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Balasore, Odisha. Following its launch, the missile flew through the designated 290km distance at Mach 2.8, culminating in a steep dive toward its designated target. Dr A Sivathanu Pillai, CEO and MD of BrahMos Aerospace, confirmed that it was a text book launch achieving 100% results, executed with high-precision from a wheeled Mobile Autonomous Launcher (MAL) prepared by the Indian Army’s 3rdBrahMos-1 regiment (the two earlier regiments possess the BrahMos-1 Block-2 missiles), which is now being formed. In a historical first, the Block 3 missile’s advanced navigation-cum-guidance system used an indigenously developed software algorithm for integrating inputs from multiple GPS navigation satellites (like Glonass & IRNSS-1).
