10 facts you should know about India's pride 'BrahMos'

New Delhi: BrahMos is a stealth supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. It is a joint venture between Republic of India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russian Federation's NPO Mashinostroeyenia who have together formed BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited. It is the world's fastest cruise missile in operation. The missile travels at speeds of Mach 2.8 to 3.0.The land launched and ship launched versions are already in service with air launched and submarine launched versions currently under testing phase.A hypersonic version of the missile is also presently under development with speed of Mach 7 to boost aerial fast strike capability. It is expected to be ready for testing by 2017.Here are the 10 facts you should know about ‘BrahMos': 1. BrahMos is a joint venture of India and Russia who have together formed BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited. The missile is named after two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia. It is jointly developed by DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) of India and Russia's NPO Mashinostroeyenia. 2. It's claimed that BrahMos missiles are the fastest cruise missiles in operation in the world. 3. They can travel close to the surface of the Earth which makes them very difficult to detect. BrahMos claims to have the capability of attacking surface targets by flying as low as 10 metres in altitude. 4. The supersonic missile is capable of carrying conventional warheads of up to 300 kg for a range of 290 km. 5. BrahMos is four times faster and is twice as heavier than US' Tomahawk missile. BrahMos has 32 times the initial kinetic energy of a Tomahawk missile. 6. Brahmos was first test fired on June 12, 2001 from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur in a vertical launch configuration. 7. The two-stage missile, the first one being solid and the second one ramjet liquid propellant, has already been inducted into the Army and Navy, and the Air Force version is in final stage of trial. 8. BrahMos Aerospace is also working to develop the air as well as the submarine launch version of the missile system. 9. The two-stage missile, the first one being solid and the second one ramjet liquid propellant, has already been inducted into the Army and Navy, and the Air Force version is in final stage of trial, a defence official said. 10. India and Russia intend to make 2,000 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles over the next 10 years.