BrahMos combines speed with a low terminal approach

BrahMos appears in the 2006 comparison because its stated June 2007 entry into service was already expected. A solid rocket booster followed by a ramjet combines a large, fast missile with a low terminal approach. The quoted figures are Mach 3, a 300 kg semi-armour-piercing warhead and about three tonnes total mass, with ranges up to 900 km for ship or land launch and 500 km for air launch. A terminal height as low as 3 m shortens a defending ship's detection opportunity, although the missile does not normally fly the whole route that low. Airborne early warning offers a chance to detect and engage it before it descends. The design brings together the Russian emphasis on a large, fast missile and the Western emphasis on sea skimming. Russian assistance accompanied substantial Indian work and an effort to increase Indian involvement.