Godrej Aerospace delivers first airframe assembly for air launched BrahMos missile

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Godrej Aerospace delivers first airframe assembly for air launched BrahMos missile

Godrej Aerospace delivers first airframe assembly for air launched BrahMos missile

Industry News
Sep 04,18

The company, which won the order for 100 sets of airframes for the air launched version of the missile in December 2017, aims to produce the first indigenous missile booster

Godrej Aerospace delivers first airframe assembly for air launched BrahMos missile

Mumbai, September 4, 2018

Godrej Aerospace, a unit of Godrej & Boyce Mfg Co Ltd, on August 31, 2018 handed over the first airframe assembly of the air launched version of the BrahMos missile to Defense Research Development Laboratories (DRDL) for qualification of the indigenously manufactured assembly. In a ceremony marking the occasion, the completion documents were handed over to Dr Dasharath Ram, Distinguished Scientist & Program Director (BrahMos), DRDL by Jamshyd Godrej, Chairman and Managing Director, Godrej & Boyce.

The missile section manufactured by Godrej Aerospace will undergo stringent testing processes set by DRDL. Godrej is poised to deliver the next set of these airframe assemblies by December 2018. The company also aims to produce the first indigenous missile booster which up till now was imported. In December 2017, Godrej Aerospace had won an order for 100 sets of airframe assemblies for the air launched version, production for which started soon after. Till date they have also supplied over 100 sets of the land version of the missile to BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd – an India-Russia joint venture of Ministry of Defence.

Dr Dasharath Ram, Distinguished Scientist & Program Director (BrahMos), DRDL, said, “The delivery of the first air frame assembly for air launched version of the Brahmos missile in such a short time frame goes a long way in showcasing Godrej’s commitment towards the project. As one of India’s premier defense research organisations, we are extremely happy with the delivery of the first airframe in such a short span of eight months.”

Dr Sudhir Mishra, DS, Director General, CEO & MD, BrahMos Aerospace, commented, “We have always believed that India should become self-sufficient in its defence capabilities and the Make in India platform provides the much-needed boost. Indigenous manufacturing of defence equipment brings down costs and enhances the know-how about critical technologies while ensuring reliability of spare parts. I am confident that our partnership will continue to set new benchmarks for the indigenous development and production of sophisticated weapon systems.”

Jamshyd Godrej, Chairman and Managing Director, Godrej & Boyce, said, “Godrej takes great pride in contributing towards building India’s defense capabilities. It is a matter of immense pride that today we have handed over the first airframe assembly of the prestigious air launched version of the BrahMos missile. The partnership between BrahMos, DRDL and Godrej Aerospace is unique and unmatched since it brings together the planning of defence PSUs and the innovation of private enterprise to robustly achieve one strategic goal of securing the nation.”

The BrahMos missile is a supersonic cruise missile with a flight range of upto 290 km. It carries a conventional warhead weighing 200-300 kilos. It can cruise at an altitude as high as 15 km and as low as 10 m above the ground and maintains supersonic speed (more than 1 km per second) throughout the duration of its flight. Once the BrahMos missile is fired, it doesn’t need any further guidance from a control center. This makes it a ‘Fire and Forget’ missile. The BrahMos missile is highly versatile and can be launched from positions on land, in air or water to seek and destroy targets on land and on water. Its sheer speed makes it a highly lethal weapon. Its pinpoint accuracy helps minimise collateral damage. The first successful launch of a BrahMos missile took place on June 12, 2001 from a land based launcher at the interim test range off the Chandipur coast of Orissa.

Godrej Aerospace has been associated with the BrahMos programme since its inception in 2001. Godrej is a dominant contributor manufacturing most of the metallic sub systems in the BrahMos missile. Besides the main airframe, Godrej supplies control surfaces and nose cap. Godrej also supplies the mobile autonomous launchers, missile replenishing vehicles for the land launched versions.