The BRAHMOS entered service with the Indian armed forces in 2006. This missile has been adopted by Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. Some sources report that Indian armed forces have a total requirement for about 1 000 of these missiles. This cruise missile is also being proposed for export customers from 14 countries.
The BRAHMOS is based on the Russian P-800 Oniks supersonic anti-ship cruise missile. The missile is 9 m long and has a diameter of 0.7 m. It has a two-stage propulsion system. It uses solid-fuel rocket booster for initial acceleration and liquid-fuel ramjet for sustained supersonic cruise. The booster is ejected by the airflow after it has burned out.
This missile has a range of 290-300 km. It can carry nuclear warhead, or 200-300 kg conventional warhead. The range is limited to 300 km, as Russia is a signatory of the Missile Technology Control Regime, which prohibits it from helping other countries develop missiles with ranges above 300 km.
The BRAHMOS is one of the fastest cruise missiles in the world. It travels at supersonic speed and can gain a speed of Mach 2.8 (3 430 km/h). This missile was developed primarily as an anti-ship missile, however there are also land attack versions. This cruise missile has GPS/GLONASS/GAGAN satellite guidance. It uses US, Russian or Indian navigation satellites and has a pin-point accuracy. At a maximum range it can hit a target as small as 1.5 x 1.5 m. It is a fire-and-forget type missile.
The BRAHMOS has the capability to engage targets from a very low altitude. It uses Russian sea-skimming cruise missile technology and can fly at altitude from 5 to 14 000 meters. Also it can maneuver at supersonic speed before hitting the target. Close-in weapon systems might not be effective against BRAHMOS, as it travels too fast. Also this missile can be used in electronic countermeasures environment. So it might be a hard nut for air defense systems to intercept.
BRAHMOS-A is an air-launched version. It is carried by fixed-wing aircraft. It is 9 m long and has a launched weight of 2 500 kg. It can be carried by an Indian Su-30MKI, however structural changes of the fuselage are required. The Indian Air Force has already adopted this cruise missile;
BRAHMOS-M another air-launched version. However this missile is smaller. It is 6 m long, but has the same range. It can be used by more Indian aircraft without modifications, such as, MiG-29K, Mirage 2000, and the Su-30MKI. As of 2015 this missile is still under development. It is expected to be adopted by 2017;
BRAHMOS II is a new hypersonic cruise missile, that is currently being developed by the BRAHMOS Aerospace joint venture. It is planned that the new missile will attain speed of up to Mach 7 (8 575 km/h). It is described as the fastest cruise missile in the world. It will have the same range as the BRAHMOS. It is expected to be ready for testing by 2017. Data military-today.com
The BrahMos Block III is an advanced ground-launched, land attack, supersonic cruise missile fitted with a new guidance system and intended to destroy fortified/hardened targets and bunkers with high precision. The new missile also features deep penetration capability as well as extended range. The BrahMos Block III was first test fired from a mobile launcher by the Indian Army on November 18, 2013.
Dimensions
Diameter: 700 millimeter (27.6 inch)
Length: 9 meter (354 inch)
Wingspan: 1.70 meter Performance
Max Range: 300 kilometer (162 nautical mile) Speed
Cruise Speed: 2.80 mach (3,347 kph) Weight
Warhead: 300 kilogram (661 pound)
Weight: 3,000 kilogram (6,614 pound)
Source deagel.com
Brahmos Missile Small-Size Version for Submarine: Details
Brahmos-NG
The Brahmos-NG is considerably smaller than earlier versions of the Indo-Russian missile. (Photo: Vladimir Karnozov)
Brahmos-NG is still faster than the PJ-10 (Mach 3.5 versus Mach 2.8) and has a longer range (more than 300 km/162 nm versus a maximum 290/157 nm km).
Moreover, the BrahMos-NG will have a newly developed AESA radar seeker in place of the mechanically scanned one on the PJ-10.
The Indian air force would benefit from adopting the Brahmos-NG, since three of them could be carried by its Su-30MKI multirole fighters, instead of one PJ-10. Besides, the aircraft would be able to land with one or two missiles on wing pylons, whereas landing safely with a standard missile attached to the center fuselage pylon is not possible. Source ainonline.com
Gareth Jennings, London – IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly
24 June 2016
The EMARSS-M1 prototype seen during its recent maiden flight ahead of continued contractor, government, and operational tests over the coming months. Source: L-3
L-3 Mission Integration has conducted the maiden flights of the first Beechcraft King Air 350ER aircraft to be converted into a special mission platform under the US Army’s Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System (EMARSS) programme, the company announced on 22 June.
The prototype of the Initial Variant Modification (IVM) aircraft, dubbed EMARSS-M1, completed a preliminary airworthiness evaluation, which clears the aircraft for continued contractor, government, and operational tests over the coming months.
The US Army awarded L-3 a contract to convert a single prototype MC-12W Project Liberty aircraft to the EMARSS-M configuration on 31 March 2015.
With this first flight milestone now achieved, L-3 will complete the modification of three additional aircraft in two other variants in 2016. All four platforms will then take part in a combined operational test and evaluation programme.
The EMARSS system consists of a King Air 350ER aircraft equipped with an electro-optic/infra-red (EO/IR) sensor, communications intelligence collection system, an aerial precision geolocation system, line-of-site tactical and beyond line-of-site communications suites, two Distributed Common Ground System-Army (DCGS-A) workstations and a self-protection suite.
Under the wider contract (including future options), L-3 is to modify Quick Reaction Capability (QRC) special mission aircraft – comprising MC-12W Project Liberty aircraft, Constant Hawk-Afghanistan (CH-A) aircraft, and Tactical Operations-Light Detection and Ranging (TACOP-LiDAR) aircraft – to the EMARSS standard.
Following on from the prototype award and the award to convert the additional three platforms, L-3 is now under contract to convert an MC-12W Project Liberty aircraft and seven other platforms into the MC-12S-2 EMARSS-M configuration.
With the Milestone C production decision being approved in August 2014, the US Army has disclosed its initial plans to field 12 EMARSS platforms (plus options for 20 more). It has not been revealed how many of these will be converted QRC platforms, or how many will be new-build.
Modified Beechcraft King Air 350ER enhanced medium-altitude reconnaissance and surveillance system (Emarss) aircraft
Emarss is a “multi-int” platform designed to detect, identify and geolocate surface targets. The aircraft is equipped with a retractable electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor ball with full motion video, a communications intelligence (Comint) collection system, aerial precision geolocation system, line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight communications suite, two distributed common ground system-army (DCGS-A) operator workstations and a self-protection suite. Last October, Boeing flew a “risk-reduction prototype” to test the effects of added fairings for sensors on the aircraft’s aerodynamics. Boeing, U.S. Army Complete First Emarss Flight – pasted June 14, 2013 – Sourceainonline.com
This New U.S. Army Aerial Spy Is Actually Four Different Planes
by Joseph Trevithick, a freelance journalist and researcher. He is also a regular contributing writer at War is Boring and a Fellow at GlobalSecurity.org.
An apparent EMARSS spy plane that crashed in Iraq in March 2016 (Rudaw capture).
After a secretive spy plane crashed in Northern Iraq on March 5, journalists rushed to try and identify the aircraft. In addition to highlighting hidden parts of the fight against Islamic State, the accident focused new attention on a long-standing U.S. Army effort to improve their fleet of aerial spooks. Starting in 2006, the ground combat branch had rushed out to hire private companies to fly surveillance missions – mostly hunting for roadside bombs and other hazards – in Iraq and then Afghanistan. Looking to consolidate this increasingly diverse and complicated collection of so-called “quick reaction capabilities”, the service started its own internal program.
More than a decade later, the Enhanced-Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System(EMARSS) is now actually at least four different systems, according to an official briefing. In total, the Army plans to convert 24 planes to one version or another. The four original prototypes will become “S models” focused on signals intelligence, missions like scooping up enemy radio chatter and locking onto to cell phones. On top of that, the planes will have powerful night vision cameras. The Army will turn another eight ex-U.S. Air Force MC-12W Liberty planes into a similar “M version”. While the details are classified, the two types will differ in the exact kind of listening gear on board. In addition, eight additional “G variants” will have infrared cameras, plus LIDAR gear and other equipment that can spot buried bombs and points of interest on the ground. The Army purchased these airframes from contractors. Lastly, the ground combat branch will turn four more previously private planes into “V types”. Northrop Grumman’s ground-scanning Vehicle and Dismount Exploitation Radar – commonly referred to by the acronym VADER – is the key component on these final aircraft.
In each case, the aircraft carrying the various intelligence gathering setups is a version of Beechcraft’s popular Super King Air. Known as the C-12 at the Pentagon, this twin-engine turboprop has become practically an industry standard for small spy planes.
A briefing slide showing the state of the EMARSS program as of October 2015.
Regardless of variant, each EMARSS plane will have the same cockpit layout, satellite communications gear and data links, computers and defensive equipment, such as missile warning sensors and flare launchers. The Army hopes to have the conversions finished by 2019. The service will then rename all the aircraft MC-12S.
On top of that, the aircraft that went down outside the town of Kawrgosk in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region might not actually be related to the project. One contract document lists the civilian-registered plane – and a second similar aircraft – as an MC-12W EMARSS based at Hunter Army Air Field in Georgia. While this would suggest the spook could be one of the future “S models”, the table separately lists the eight planes the Air Force handed over to the Army almost two years ago. When asked, the shared public affairs office for both Fort Stewart and Hunter had no information available on either aircraft or what unit was flying them. On the surface, this plan seems to be at odds with the original idea of consolidating the total number of systems. However, the ground combat branch settled on a similar process when it adopted the older Guardrail/Common Sensor spy planes nearly 30 years ago.
One of the MC-12S EMARSS prototypes (U.S. Army photo).
The Army rushed the very first of these planes to South Korea in 1988. Due to demand, these aircraft arrived without many of the planned upgrades. After a decade of work, military intelligence soldiers were flying four slightly different variants. To make up for the limits of communications gear at the time, the fleet included three special RC-12Q satellite relay versions. After three decades of service, the Army finally plans to pare the Guardrail fleet down to just one type, the definitive and obtusely titled RC-12X+, sometime in the next two years. Of 28 older aircraft, the ground combat branch will keep just five on hand to serve as trainers.
And by choosing roll up various existing equipment into the EMARSS program, the Army finally gets the project moving after years of delays and confusion. As of June 2010, one manual described the planes as just another quick reaction capability. Six months later, the ground combat branch hired Boeing to build new production systems. But after competing companies protested the decision, the Government Accountability Office told the service to review deal. Soured on the project, when it proposed its 2013 budget more than year later, the Army announced it was cancelling EMARSS to help cut costs. The four MC-12S prototypes would go to the Air Force. The ground combat branch explained the deal would save them approximately $1.2 billion.
A Constant Hawk, one of the aircraft that will eventually become an EMARSS-G (U.S. Army photo).
At a press briefing at the Pentagon on Feb. 13, 2012, a reporter asked how the ground combat branch could meet the demand for intelligence gathering without the planes. “I can’t really speak to anything further on recon aircraft”, was all Barbara Bonessa, Deputy Director, Army Budget, would say to reporters. As it turned out, the Army did need EMARSS. By March 2013, the service had changed tack again, asking defense companies to provide cost estimates and other information on what it would take to build as many as 12 of the airborne spies. After another year of wrangling, the Air Force decided not to take the existing test aircraft, either. Instead, the flying branch would send eight MC-12Ws to the Army as they cut that entire fleet from their inventory. By July 1, 2015, the Army had 26 different aircraft slated for the EMARSS project at three different bases across the United States. Initially, the ground combat branch had expected the first types to arrive at units sometime between the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013.
In the face of those delays and with so much money and time already spent, making less radical modifications to this fleet definitely made more sense than trying to build even more planes. The upgraded Guardrails and improved, larger RO-6A Airborne Reconnaissance Low will round out this important fleet. And if EMARSS continues to progress like Guardrail did, the planes are likely to become more and more similar as the Army buys additional upgrades over the coming years. Source offiziere.ch
The MC-12W LPAs (now with the US Army, having until recently been US Air Force assets) will be re-designated as the EMARSS-Multi-Intelligence (EMARSS-M) after modification, while both the CH-A and TACOP-LIDAR variants will be re-designated the EMARSS-GEO Intelligence (EMARSS-G). The overall programme is known as the EMARSS-Follow-On Variant Modifications (EMARSS-FVM), which is intended to bring the aircraft to a configuration similar to the MC-12S EMARSS developed by Boeing. Source tangentlink.com
General Characteristics Primary function: intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance Contractor: L-3 Communications Power plant: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-60A Wingspan: 57 feet 11 inches (17.65 meters) Length: 46 feet 8 inches (14.22 meters) Height: 14 feet 4 inches (4.37 meters) Weight: 12,500 pounds empty (5,669 kilograms) Maximum takeoff weight: 16,500 pounds Fuel capacity: 5,192 pounds (2,355 kilograms) Speed: 312 knots Range: approximately 2,400 nautical miles Ceiling: 35,000 feet (10,668 meters) Armament: none Crew: two pilots and two sensor operators Initial operating capability: June 2009 Unit cost: $17 million (aircraft and all communications equipment modifications) Inventory: active force, 0; Reserve, 0; ANG, 13
Source: af.mil
PW PT6A-60A
Manufacturer: Pratt & Whitney Canada (United Technologies) Power: PT6A-60A: 1,050 shp; PT6A-68: 1,250 shp Overall Pressure Ratio at Maximum Power: Unknown Compressor: Axial flow/centrifugal Compressor Stages: 4-stage axial/1-stage centrifugal Turbine: 2 PT (2-stage axial power turbine) FADEC: No Length: 72.5 in (1.84 m) Diameter: 19 in (48 cm) Dry Weight: Unknown Platforms: PT6A-60A: C-12 Huron / MC-12W PT6A-68: T-6 Texan II
The EMARSS-M1 prototype seen during its recent maiden flight ahead of continued contractor, government, and operational tests over the coming months. Source: L-3
An apparent EMARSS spy plane that crashed in Iraq in March 2016 (Rudaw capture).
A briefing slide showing the state of the EMARSS program as of October 2015.
Image @
One of the MC-12S EMARSS prototypes (U.S. Army photo).
A Constant Hawk, one of the aircraft that will eventually become an EMARSS-G (U.S. Army photo).
Thai Military and Asian Region 