Denis Alipov has said smaller and faster versions of the weapon are in the works
India and Russia are jointly developing smaller hypersonic versions of the BrahMos missile, whose lethal precision was on display against Pakistani targets last year.
BrahMos is “an emblematic example” of bilateral defense cooperation between Russia and India, Moscow’s envoy to New Delhi, Denis Alipov, said while marking the 25th anniversary of the missile’s first test launch.
Named after the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers, the BrahMos is among the fastest supersonic cruise missiles in the world.
“Today, work is underway to develop smaller and hypersonic variants, which will further enhance the Indian Armed Forces’ multi-domain strike capabilities,” he said Wednesday.
BrahMos is a supersonic missile with speeds reaching up to Mach 3, or three times the speed of sound. It is now available in land-, sea-, and air-launched variants.
BrahMos Goes Hypersonic: 🇮🇳 & 🇷🇺 Working On Next-Gen Missile Variants – Russian Ambassador To India
India and Russia are jointly developing smaller and hypersonic versions of the BrahMos missile, Denis Alipov has said.
Alipov recalled the use of the missile in Operation Sindoor, India’s brief military clash with Pakistan last year. Some 15-20 BrahMos missiles were fired by India in the clash, damaging several major Pakistani air bases.
The BrahMos joint venture, established in 1995, transformed bilateral ties from a “traditional buyer-seller framework” into one based on “technology sharing, co-development, and co-production,” Alipov said.
After a decade and a half, New Delhi has institutionalized this approach under its Make-in-India program, he said.
The envoy added that the joint development of fifth-generation fighter aircraft based on Russia’s Su-57 platform and the production of S-400 air defense systems would strengthen the trajectory of bilateral defense collaboration.
“The project also marked a turning point in our bilateral cooperation, paving the way for other landmark initiatives such as the licensed and localized production of Su-30MKI fighter aircraft and T-90 main battle tanks in India,” he noted.
Alipov also cited the AK-203 rifles produced by the Indo-Russia Rifles joint venture recently.
BrahMos Aerospace Managing Director Alexander Maksichev said last week the company is ready to supply missiles to the Russian Navy and land forces.
Originally capped at a range of 180 miles (290 km), the weapon has since been upgraded for greater reach. The Philippines was its first foreign customer, signing a $375 million contract in 2022. The first batch of BrahMos missiles was delivered to Manila in April 2024 and the second in April 2025.
India confirmed it earlier this month it had also made a deal with Vietnam to supply the missiles.
