The Navy today successfully test-fired the 290-km range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 300 kg, from a warship off the Goa coast. According to Defence sources, the missile, performing high-level manoeuvres successfully hit the target ship. The INS Teg, which has been built at the Yantar shipyard in Russia, had fired the missile successfully during pre-induction trials in Russia last year. The two remaining warships of the project namely INS Tarkash and INS Trikand will also be armed with the lethal missile in vertical launch mode.The two-stage missile, the first one being solid and the second one ramjet liquid propellant, has already been inducted into the Army and Navy, and the Air Force version is in final stage of trial.

While induction of the first version of Brahmos missile
system in the Indian Navy commenced from 2005 with INS Rajput, it is now fully operational with two regiments of the Army.The air launch version and the submarine launch version of the missile system are in progress. The Defence Ministry has also given a go-ahead to Army to induct a third regiment equipped with the missile system to be deployed in Arunachal Pradesh.

Afghanistan’s National Security Council in its weekly meeting chaired by President Hamid Karzai in Kabul on Sunday discussed several issues including the reports of cross border rocket firing in north-eastern Kunar province of the country. A press release issued by the President’s office said the meeting instructed officials to take all necessary actions and assist the families affected by these rocket shelling. 

Earlier in a press conference Afghan Foreign ministry condemned missile attacks in eastern border areas of Afghanistan. A spokesman for the ministry of foreign affairs of Afghanistan Janan Mosazai said the continued missile attacks by Pakistan in eastern provinces of Afghanistan will endanger the relations between the two countries. 

According to reports latest missiles attacks from Pakistan on Saturday evening at least four people were killed in eastern Kunar province. However Pakistani officials denied the allegations.