Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 18 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that the launch of the first batch of locally produced BrahMos missiles in Lucknow's aerospace facility symbolises India's growing confidence and strength.
Singh stated that the production facility in Lucknow will manufacture 100 BrahMos missiles, which have become the backbone of the armed forces, and supply them to the Indian Army and Navy.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony of the first batch of BrahMos missiles here, Singh said, "I believe that over time, along with the credibility of BrahMos, Lucknow's credibility has also grown. This project also symbolises the country's growing confidence and growing strength. Lucknow is one of the six nodes of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Corridor. Could anyone have imagined a few years ago that Lucknow would produce the country's most advanced missiles? This dream has been realised."
"This BrahMos facility not only symbolises the strength of our armed forces, but also sends a message that Uttar Pradesh is now ready to handle any challenge, whether it's internal security or external threats. Uttar Pradesh has now overcome its criminal image, and the Chief Minister deserves praise for this," he added.
Singh further said that India was overcoming challenges that emerged due to the disruption of the supply chain of spare parts, which he asserted was being used as a "weapon" by supplier countries.
"BrahMos has become the spine of the armed forces. Around 100 missiles will be launched from here every year. Missiles will be supplied to the Army, Navy, and Air Force. This BrahMos facility has been built on approximately 200 acres. Its total cost is approximately Rs 380 crore, and it will provide employment to hundreds of people. These days, we're seeing reports of supplier countries disrupting the supply of spare parts. This disruption of the supply chain is being used as a weapon. We are now overcoming this challenge," the Defence Minister said.
He further stated that the flagging off of BrahMos missiles from the Lucknow facility within five months of its inauguration was a "historic achievement" and a step towards ensuring the country's security and Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance).
"It is a matter of pride for me that BrahMos' state-of-the-art Booster and Warhead building is being inaugurated today. Today is historic for citizens in Uttar Pradesh and especially Lucknow. I congratulate them on this occasion, when a milestone is being achieved in the defence sector. This fuels the pride in me," Singh said.
"Lucknow is now a technology-driven city, not only about culture. The city has become a centre for defence manufacturing. This is a step towards ensuring the country's security and Aatmanirbharta. On May 11, 2025, we inaugurated this modern facility, and in just five months, we are witnessing this historic achievement: the first batch of BrahMos missiles being delivered from Lucknow," he added.
Speaking on the role of BrahMos during Operation Sindoor, Singh said that the events that unfolded during the military operation against Pakistan were merely a trailer.
"BrahMos proved to be practical for India's security during Operation Sindoor. Winning is not merely an incident, but it has become our habit...What happened in Operation Sindoor was just a trailer. However, that trailer itself made Pakistan realise that if India could give birth to Pakistan, I need not say anything further about what else it could do," the Defence Minister asserted.
Singh today visited the BrahMos aerospace production unit in Lucknow, along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak, and flagged off the trucks displaying the first batch of locally manufactured BrahMos missiles.
He also witnessed a BrahMos virtual strike through the Indian Air Force's SU-30 fighter jet.
BrahMos is a two-stage missile with a solid propellant booster engine as its first stage, which brings it to supersonic speed and then gets separated. The liquid ramjet or the second stage then takes the missile closer to 2.8 Mach speed in the cruise phase. Stealth technology and guidance system with advanced embedded software provides the missile with special features.
The missile has a flight range of up to 290 km with supersonic speed throughout the flight, leading to shorter flight time, consequently ensuring lower dispersion of targets, quicker engagement time and non-interception by any known weapon system in the world.
BrahMos operates on the 'Fire and Forget' principle, adopting a variety of flight paths on its way to the target. The missile's destructive power is enhanced due to the large kinetic energy on impact. Its cruising altitude could be up to 15 km, and the terminal altitude is as low as 5 meters. BRAHMOS carries a conventional warhead upto 200 kgs.
Compared to existing state-of-the-art subsonic cruise missiles, BRAHMOS has three times the velocity, 2.5 to 3 times the flight range, 3 to 4 times the seeker range, and nine times the kinetic energy.
The missile has an identical configuration for land, sea and sub-sea platforms and uses a Transport Launch Canister (TLC) for transportation, storage and launch. The canister for the missile serves the dual purpose of a container (to store & transport the missile) and also that of a launching tube.