China’s People Liberation Army (PLA) is not happy with India’s decision to deploy BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles along the India-China border in the Eastern part of India.
BrahMos is a stealth supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircrafts and land. The missile has been inducted in all the services – army, navy and air force.
The BrahMos regiment that the government has reportedly cleared for deployment consists of 100 missiles and five autonomous launchers and a mobile command post, among other things.
China Warns India
China has warned India that such a move could lead to counter-measures from China and destabilize the border areas.
India deploying supersonic missiles on the border has exceeded its own need for self-defense and poses a serious threat to China’s Tibet and Yunnan provinces.Report in PLA’s newspaper
The daily also claimed that “counterbalance and confrontation” were behind India’s move, noting other steps to bolster the border such as deploying Sukhoi-Su 30 MKIs and drones in border areas as “deterrence to create a military advantage in the boundary”.
India, nevertheless, has set up massive infrastructure in Tibet and Xinjiang including roads, rail networks and airport to reach the border.
Threat by BrahMos Cruise Missile
The PLA Daily also claimed that deploying BraMos could threaten some of this infrastructure.
“The supersonic BrahMos Cruise Missile has excellent dive attack capabilities and fits in the Indo-Sino border where its mostly mountain topography.”
The report added that the “low observable” nature and “penetration capabilities” of the 2.5 Mac-speed missile posted a threat to China’s border areas.
The deployment of the missile “could increase suddenness and effectivity of attacks” and land “crushing blows on time-sensitive targets like missile launchers and solid targets like command centres”, PLA daily’s report said.
“Deploying BrahMos missiles is bound to increase competitiveness and confrontation in Sino-Indian relations and bring a negative influence to stability of the region,” the commentary concluded.
On the other hand, the newspaper suggested, the missile also had certain “defects”, such as “a relatively short range that cannot threaten China’s deep zones” as well “a heavy weight that makes it difficult for even a Sukhoi Su-30MKI to carry more than one”.
The 290-km range BrahMos is a tactical or non-nuclear missile with “nine times more kinetic energy than sub-sonic missiles” for greater destructive potential. Jointly developed with Russia, it has become the preferred precision-strike weapon for the Indian armed forces.
The missile was tested by the Army and last known test of the missile in the Eastern sector was conducted in May, 2015. The steep-dive attack cruise missile can hit enemy targets hidden in the shadows of mountains.
The BrahMos missiles can fly at 2.8 times the speed of sound. It can carry conventional warheads up to 300 kg.
Source: PLA Daily, Indiatoday
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