Amid the ongoing border standoff with China, the BrahMos air launched cruise missile has received clearance for combat use. The BrahMos armed Su-30 squadron was inaugurated earlier this year in January. “The fleet release clearance certification has paved the way for the pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) squadrons to use the missile during combat missions,” BrahMos Corporation told India Today.
The Sukhoi-30MKI fighter aircraft was inducted at Thanjavur IAF airbase equipped with BrahMos supersonic cruise missile in January. The BrahMos-A is a supersonic land attack cruise missile capable of ranges in excess of 300 km.
The issuance of the fleet release clearance is the final step clearing the way for the Indian Air Force (IAF) to deploy the missile in a combat mission, if deemed necessary. To put it in simple words, BrahMos-A is now fully operational and war-ready.
Meanwhile, one officer and two Jawans of the Indian Army lost their lives in a violent scuffle which took place between Indian and Chinese Armies at Galwan Valley in Ladakh on Monday night. It follows weeks of rising tensions and the deployment of thousands of extra troops from both sides. “A violent face-off took place yesterday (Monday) night with casualties. The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers,” an Indian army spokesman said in a statement.
The tensions between the Indian and Chinese armies have been high for the last few weeks over border related issues in Ladakh. The situation in eastern Ladakh deteriorated after around 250 Chinese and Indian soldiers were engaged in a violent face-off on the evening of May 5 which extended over to the next day before the two sides agreed to disengage. But, the standoff continued.
