Railway
BrahMos, a supersonic cruise missile, has been developed jointly by the DRDO and:
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Answer: Option D — Russia's NPO Mashinostroyeniya
Detailed Solution
BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile developed by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture formed in 1998 between India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyeniya (NPOM). India holds about 50.5% of the shares and Russia about 49.5%. The name "BrahMos" is formed from the names of two rivers: the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.
Features of BrahMos:
- It is one of the fastest supersonic cruise missiles in the world, flying at about Mach 2.8 to 3, nearly three times the speed of sound.
- It follows the "fire and forget" principle; once launched, it needs no further guidance from the launcher.
It can be launched from land, ships, submarines and aircraft. The air-launched version is fitted on the Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter of the Indian Air Force.
Its original range was about 290 kilometres, because of limits under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). After India joined the MTCR in 2016, extended-range versions with ranges of about 450-500 kilometres or more were developed.
The first test launch of BrahMos was on 12 June 2001 from Chandipur in Odisha. It has been inducted into the Army, Navy and Air Force. A BrahMos production facility was opened in Lucknow in 2025, and the missile was used by the Indian Air Force during Operation Sindoor in May 2025. In 2022, the Philippines became the first foreign country to sign a contract to buy BrahMos. Future versions include BrahMos-NG (a lighter version) and a hypersonic BrahMos-II.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Israel Aerospace Industries works with India on the Barak-8 (MRSAM) air defence missile.
- ✗Dassault Aviation of France makes the Rafale fighter jet.
- ✗Lockheed Martin of the USA makes aircraft such as the C-130J Super Hercules.
Quick tip
Remember: BrahMos = India (DRDO) + Russia (NPOM), joint venture 1998, Brahmaputra + Moskva, supersonic (about Mach 3), first test 2001 at Chandipur.
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Defence Technology & Missiles — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Defence Technology & Missiles, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's defence technology: the missiles developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme and later, their types and ranges, DRDO, defence equipment such as aircraft, tanks, submarines and warships, and military exercises with other countries. Common questions ask what type a missile is (Prithvi is surface-to-surface, Akash is surface-to-air, and Nag is anti-tank), which missile was developed with Russia (BrahMos), and which countries take part in a joint exercise. Lists of exercises and newly inducted equipment change often, so check current affairs as well. Practise the defence technology and missiles questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.