Balasore: The BrahMos Indo-Russian supersonic cruise missile platform proved its versatility by conducting a controlled steep-dive in supersonic cruise mode. The latest achievement not only creates a world record, as no missile has ever been tested in a controlled supersonic dive, but adds to the missile's list of capabilities.

This universal missile has already been tested in various avatars – ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore, shore to-ship, submarine-launched and land attack.

It is also being developed to operate in the air-to–surface mode and will be carried by specially modified Su-30MKI avatars.

The 290-km range missile was test-fired on Sunday as part of user trials for the Indian Army from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur off the Orissa coast.

''User's trial of BrahMos conducted by the Indian Army was successful,'' ITR director SP Dash said after the missile blasted off from a mobile launcher at around 11:35 am from the launch complex-3 (LC-3) of the test range near here around 11.35 am.

According to defence sources, the missile was launched from a mobile autonomous launcher. "The missile took off successfully and hit the desired target, meeting all mission parameters. It was a fantastic launch - a 100% success," said ITR director S P Dash.

 ''It was an important mission. For the first time, a cruise missile was tested at a supersonic speed in a steep-dive mode,'' said Dr A Sivathanu Pillai, chief controller, DRDO and chief executive officer of BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd.

''When you launch a missile, it goes up and reaches a flat trajectory. In this case, the BrahMos dove straight down from its flat trajectory while cruising at a supersonic speed,'' he said.

This was BrahMos' 23rd flight.

The missile tested on Sunday was an advanced version –the Block-II version of the BrahMos.. "The missile flew in the designated complex trajectory including large manoeuvres and steep dive. This is the first time that a supersonic dive has been realised by a cruise missile," a source said.

The Block-II land attack version has advanced seeker software with target discriminating capabilities. With the parameters fully met the Block-II version is ready for induction.

"This will provide an enhanced capability to the user for selection of a particular land target amongst a group of targets. With this, BrahMos has become the only supersonic cruise missile possessing advanced capability, providing an edge to the user with precise hit," officials said.

The 8.4m long missile can hit a target at a distance up to 290km travelling at speeds of nearly three times that of sound carrying a conventional 200-300 kg warhead.

The Block-II variant can home in on small targets with low radar cross-section in a cluttered environment. It will provide ''precision strike'' capability to the armed forces as it substantially reduces risks of collateral damage.

A regiment of the BrahMos-I variant, consists of 67 missiles, five mobile autonomous launchers on 12x12 Tatra vehicles and two mobile command posts. One such regiment is already operational with the Army. The Army is set to induct two more regiments of the BrahMos Block-II land-attack cruise missile version (LACM).

The Navy, which was the launch customer of the missile, has already inducted the early version of the BrahMos missile system in a number of its warships and continues to make space for it on all of its latest frontline warships.

The BrahMos missile is a two-stage vehicle that has a solid propellant booster and a liquid propellant ram-jet system.