Inside: A Rare Photo Of BrahMos Missile In Action Just Before It Hits Target

The Andaman and Nicobar (A&C) Command, the first and only tri-service theatre command of the Indian armed forces, has shared a rare picture of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile on Twitter.

The picture was taken a fraction of a second before the missile hit its target, marked with a red flag, with pinpoint accuracy.

While it is known that the picture was taken during a test, the exact location of this test remains unknown. But given that the picture was shared by the A&N Command, it is likely that the test took place on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The sea visible in the background supports this conclusion.

The A&N Command has conducted multiple tests of the BrahMos in recent years. It had released a video of one such recent test of the cruise missile from a land-based launcher in February this year.

On 5 March, the Indian Navy has tested the extended-range version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a destroyer.

"Long range precision strike capability of Adv [advanced] version of BrahMos missile successfully validated," the navy said, calling it a shot in the arm for the government's Atmanirbhar Bharat programme.

"Pin point destruction of tgt [target] demonstrated combat & mission readiness of frontline platforms," the Indian Navy added.

In January this year, India test-fired a BrahMos missile from the Integrated Test Range Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.

On 8 December last year, the air-launched version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully test-fired from a Su-30MKI fighter jet, clearing it for serial production. The air-launched version of the BrahMos missile, also called BrahMos-A, is being integrated with Su-30 MKI fighters. The Indian Air Force had test-fired the air-launched version of the missile from a Su-30 MKI fighter for the first time in 2017.

These tests come at a time when the Philippines has signed a $375 million deal with BrahMos Aerospace Limited for the purchase of missiles for its land-based anti-ship missile system to deter China in the South China Sea.