BALASORE: India is likely to conduct more tests of the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos and surface-to-air missile Trishul over the next two months from a test range in Orissa, military sources said.

The missiles would be tested from the Integrated Test Rage (ITR) at Chandipur-on-sea in Balasore district, 230 km from the state capital Bhubaneswar, the sources said.

BrahMos, a missile developed jointly by India and Russia, would be tested some time in December, while Trishul, which has a triple battlefield role for the army, air force and navy, is likely to be tested in January, a source said.

The BrahMos missile will be tested from a land platform, the source said.

India conducted a successful test of the naval or anti-ship version of BrahMos from the Indian Navy warship INS Rajput off the Orissa coast Nov 3.

The missile successfully completed a mid-air manoeuvre and hit a decommissioned ship.

Similarly, an advanced version of the short range Dhanush ballistic missile and Akash surface-to-air missile were fired on November 7 and 29 respectively.

Five more trials of the Akash missile could take place shortly, the sources said. Scientists have begun preparations for these tests, they said.

BrahMos, with a striking range of 290 km, is essentially an anti-ship missile that carries conventional warheads. It can be configured for launch from multiple platforms -- from land, ships, submarines and aircraft.

The production facility for the missile is already in place and scientists are planning to deliver one missile every month, sources said.

BrahMos weighs three tonnes and carries a 200 kg warhead. It travels at Mach 2.8 to 3, or 2.8 to three times the speed of sound.

Various countries have shown interest in the missile when it was exhibited in defence shows in South Africa and Singapore, sources said.

Trishul is a short-range missile that can carry a warhead of 15 kg. It is a quick-reaction and all-weather missile designed to counter low-level attacks.

Courtesy Indo-Asian News Service