PHOTO: BrahMos vertically launched from INS Ranvir

This beautiful photograph just came in. Photographed in the Bay of Bengal at 1200HRS on December 18. A BrahMos supersonic cruise missile lift off the universal vertical launcher on board the Indian Navy’s Kashin II-class destroyer INS Ranvir. Yesterday’s press release from BrahMos reveals that the three follow-on Krivak-class (Talwar-class) stealth frigates being built Kaliningrad will have the same vertical launcher modules. The BrahMos is already integrated in the inclined configuration on Ranvir’s sister ship INS Rajput. According to the statement from the company yesterday, the launch makes BrahMos the world’s “first and only supersonic cruise missile capable of being launched from vertical and inclined configurations from a naval platform”.

17 thoughts on “PHOTO: BrahMos vertically launched from INS Ranvir”

  1. May be I am a newbie!! But what is the advantage of vertical launch to the inclined launch? Does it increase the precision of the missile or any other things?

  2. INS Ran Vijay too will be fitted with the BrahMos. Both INS Ranvir and INS Ran Vijay will each have 12 BrahMos on board: eight vertically and four housed within inclined launchers of the type now on board INS Rajput. The question to be asked now is: what kind of BrahMos will be on board: pure anti-ship variants or a mix of anti-ship and ship-launched land attack variants? Also note that the photo of INS Ranvir shows it retrofitted with IAI/RAFAEL Barak-1 CIWS and new mast-mounted ESM/EW suite and Desceaver off-board countermeasures dispensers from ELBIT Systems of Israel.

  3. Thanks for the info. 12 brahmos is a terrific load. What about the older 3 rajputs? They still have 5-8 years left in them. It looks like the 8 VLS brahmos occupy the space vacated by the SA-N-3 launcher. But I guess 32 Barak-1’s should offer some compensation.

    To the newbie..VLS missiles can be fired in any direction without wasting fuel unlike inclined ones which need either the missile or ship to maneuver if the threat is not directly ahead.

  4. I second Anon2, what is the advantage?

    I know technically they are very different and a vertical launch is more difficult to perfect. But what do we gain? space to store more missiles? faster firing?

  5. I think in addition to other advantages “Vertical Launch” allows Brahmos to get to the cruising altitude relativity faster. Where it dumps its rocket booster and starts cruising using ramjet engine resulting in less consumption of fuel hence more range.

  6. More. A “Vertical Launch” allows 360′ firing. Means it allows firing both in front and back without relocating or repointing entire launcher. Hence resulting in smaller time interval between successive firings…… Let suppose a ship detects a target behind her tail. Imagine she is available with only forward facing inclined launchers. So to fire a brahmos at her target she will have to do “U Turn” resulting in consumption of precious time. I think no need to explain consequences. Against it if that ship is equipped with a vertical launcher then she can fire a Brahmos at her her target without turning. Above is also applicable in Brahmos LACM case.

  7. will india ever have the project-22-350 frigates ???

    by when can we expect the hypersonic version( Mach 5+) of the brahmos to be tested???

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