Kerala Brahmos to continue in Thiruvananthapuram?

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The manufacturing sub-centre of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, which became a star through Operation Sindoor, may continue in Chacka, Thiruvananthapuram.

The Kerala state government had proposed to allocate 4.5 acres of land out of the 18.5 acres of land belonging to BrahMos for the development of the Thiruvananthapuram airport's runway. Government has also announced that it will give 189 acres of land in Nettukaltheri near Parasala in return. This is what led to the rumours that BrahMos will be shifted from Chacka. However, the central government and the DRDO, the institution's operator, have not yet taken a final decision in this regard.

The manufacturing facilities of BrahMos, including the Nirbhaya engine, are being built in Thiruvananthapuram. It is learnt that there is no plan to close any manufacturing facility in view of the influx of foreign orders after Operation Sindoor. The order currently being manufactured is for the Philippines. The first batch of orders worth $375 million has been placed. Vietnam is also in talks for an order worth $700 million. It is reported that countries such as Indonesia, Oman, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Venezuela have also approached for Brahmos.

India-Russia Joint Venture

India developed the BrahMos missile in 2001 in collaboration with Russia. BrahMos Limited is a joint venture between DRDO and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM). In 2008, BrahMos started in Thiruvananthapuram by acquiring the Keltech company on land given free of cost by Kerala. The Nirbhaya engine and some other missile parts are manufactured here. The Nirbhaya engine unit will have to be demolished if land is acquired for the airport. The proposal to start a fully equipped unit in Nettukaltheri is an alternative to this. However, there is a proposal to maintain the construction of the unit on the remaining 11 acres of 18.5 acres. The state government intends to transfer the land in Nettukaltheri that is in the hands of the prison department. BrahMos is notable globally for its ability to travel four times faster than the speed of sound and its accuracy of strike. The range is 400 km.