India and Russia have agreed to double the range of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from 290 km to over 600 km.
The decision in this regard was taken during the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Goa on the sidelines of the BRICS summit.
Why this decision was taken?
Earlier, India was denied access to the missile technology with range over 300 km as it was not member state of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).
But India’s recent accession to MTCR, allowed Russia to provide the critical systems and technology to extend the range of the missile beyond 300km.
Benefits of extending range: It will enhance the stand-off capability and the operational radius in striking targets of the missile. It will have major force multiplier due its speed and accuracy.
Background
India and Russia had teamed up to develop the BrahMos missile in 1998. It is based on the Russian Yakhont anti-ship missile.
Its range was limited to 290 km as Russia was a member of MTCR but India was not.
Due to restrictions under MTCR, Russia was not able provide the critical systems of the missile to increase its range.
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