100th BrahMos missile booster flagged off in Nagpur, India

BrahMos Aerospace and Solar Industries India Ltd marked a milestone in India’s defence self-reliance by flagging off the 100th domestically produced booster for the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile at Solar Industries’ Nagpur facility on June 18. BrahMos Aerospace Chief Jaiteerth Joshi and Solar Industries Chairman Satyanarayan Nuwal jointly flagged off the booster.

Joshi described the achievement as significant within the country’s indigenisation programme, noting that the booster was previously imported from Russia before technology transfer enabled local production. “Earlier we were importing boosters from Russia. Technology transfer was given in 2018, trials were completed by the end of 2020 and production started in 2022. From one booster per month, Solar has now scaled up production to around 60 boosters per month. This is a significant achievement in the country’s indigenisation mission,” Joshi said.

He added that Solar Industries is also contributing to the indigenisation of BrahMos warheads. “They are the first company to take the technology transfer and move ahead with indigenisation. Warhead trials have been conducted and once successful, imported warheads will be replaced with indigenous ones,” he said.

Highlighting the missile’s operational success, Joshi stated, “The missile has demonstrated its robustness, quality and reliability over the years. The operational use of BrahMos has further reinforced confidence in the system and enhanced its global reputation.” Regarding exports, he indicated that Vietnam could be the next major overseas customer. “Vietnam is almost through. Only a few clearances remain. We are also in advanced discussions with several countries in the eastern and western regions,” Joshi added.

Satyanarayan Nuwal told ANI that Solar Industries absorbed the transferred technology within a year and obtained final approval from BrahMos Aerospace and Russian experts in September 2022. “We absorbed the technology within one year. After approval from Russian scientists and BrahMos Aerospace in 2022, production commenced. We are now building our capacity and can comfortably produce around 150 boosters annually,” Nuwal said.

On the development of indigenous warheads, Nuwal stated, “The warhead has already been developed and is being sent for trials. If the trials are successful within the next month, we will begin manufacturing BrahMos warheads in India as well.” He described the development as a major milestone. “This is a huge achievement not only for Solar Industries but also for the country. The booster and warhead are two of the most critical components of the BrahMos missile, and we are fully prepared to meet future requirements.”

This event represents a significant advancement in India’s efforts to reduce reliance on imported defence equipment and to enhance indigenous missile manufacturing capacities under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.