BrahMos-II Hypersonic Missile Targets First Flight Test in 2027–28

India and Russia’s next-generation hypersonic cruise missile, BrahMos-II, is moving toward a major milestone, with the first flight test planned for 2027–28. Reports indicate that this test will validate the missile’s ability to achieve and sustain Mach 8 cruise, demonstrate high-precision guidance at hypersonic speeds, and test the durability of advanced thermal-resistant materials under extreme conditions. The official BrahMos Aerospace website also confirms that initial groundwork for BrahMos-II has already begun, including material research, propulsion studies, and aerodynamic modelling.

The BrahMos-II marks a significant technological leap beyond the current BrahMos supersonic missile. Engineers describe it as a system built around a dual-stage propulsion architecture, where a solid booster accelerates the missile during launch before an air-breathing scramjet engine propels it into sustained hypersonic flight. Achieving Mach 8 requires a specially designed airframe made from high-temperature carbon–carbon composites, along with heat-ablative protective layers capable of surviving temperatures that can exceed 2,000°C. Its navigation system will feature a new-generation guidance suite, integrating upgraded INS, enhanced satellite navigation, and specialized terminal-phase algorithms capable of functioning despite plasma interference created at high speeds.

Strategically, the BrahMos-II is expected to deliver a powerful deep-strike capability, with an anticipated range between 1,000 km and 1,500 km, though official numbers remain undisclosed. It is being designed for multi-platform deployment, including land-based launchers, surface warships, submarine vertical tubes, and potentially future air-launch platforms. With its extreme speed and variable flight path, the missile could reduce an adversary’s reaction time to just a few seconds, making it an exceptionally difficult weapon to intercept and significantly enhancing India’s deterrence posture.

Momentum behind the programme has grown in recent years. India and Russia have revived detailed technical discussions since 2024, conducting joint design reviews, scramjet component tests, and extensive thermal simulations. This renewed push reflects India’s determination to join the small group of countries working toward operational hypersonic weapons, at a time when global hypersonic competition is accelerating, with the United States, China, and Russia all fielding or developing advanced systems.

The planned 2027–28 flight test will be the project’s first real-world validation of the missile’s performance, combining its scramjet propulsion, airframe, thermal shielding, and guidance systems in full atmospheric conditions. Success in this test will lead to additional developmental flights, expanded-range trials, and platform-specific integration. Full operational entry is expected only after several years of refinement, likely in the early 2030s.

For now, BrahMos-II stands as one of India’s most ambitious and strategically important defence programmes — a weapon designed to reshape India’s long-range strike capabilities and strengthen its position in the global hypersonic arena.