Godrej Aerospace and BrahMos hit a century!

Make in India is something that I believe in, and it is heartening to see Godrej Aerospace, after putting in nearly 17 years of research, being successful. On 5^th December 2017, they handed over the 100^th set of airframe assemblies to BrahMos Aerospace Pvt. Ltd. for use in its missile systems. Godrej definitely has done India proud by contributing towards building our defense capabilities.

I had the good fortune to attend the event announcing their success and had the opportunity to listen to the history behind this moment. After a panel discussion on India’s defense capabilities and Godrej’s plans for expansion, Dr. Sudhir Mishra, Director General (BrahMos), CEO & MD BrahMos Aerospace was handed the completion documents of the 100^th BrahMos Airframe by Mr. Jamshyd N. Godrej, Chairman and Managing Director, Godrej & Boyce

What is BrahMos?

To be very honest, even I wasn’t sure what BrahMos was till I read it up a day before I attended the event. In the current atmosphere, I am sure all of us need a good cheering and what better way to reignite pride into our hearts than talk about India’s success story!

The BrahMos missile is a supersonic cruise missile with a flight range of upto 290 km. It carries a conventional warhead weighing 200 – 300 kilos. It can cruise at an altitude as high as 15 km and as low as 10 m above the ground and maintains supersonic speed (more than 1 km per second) throughout the duration of its flight. Once the BrahMos missile is fired, it doesn’t need any further guidance from a control center. This makes it a ‘Fire and Forget’ missile.

The BrahMos missile is highly versatile and can be launched from positions on land, in air or water. Its sheer speed makes it a highly lethal weapon. Its pinpoint accuracy helps minimize collateral damage.

What has been Godrej Aerospace’s role?

Godrej Aerospace has been associated with BrahMos programme since its inception in 2001. Godrej is a dominant contributor manufacturing most of the metallic sub systems in the BrahMos missile. Besides the main airframe, Godrej supplies control surfaces and nose cap. Godrej also supplies the Mobile Autonomous Launchers, Missile Replenishing Vehicles for the land launched versions.

So what did they discuss?

Here’s what Mr Jamshyd N. Godrej had to say, “Godrej and BrahMos have been partners for 17 momentous years. Over that time, we have taken great pride in doing our bit for nation-building through our contribution to bolstering India’s defense capabilities. This is a proud moment for Godrej, Brahmos and India. It is an assertion of our commitment to serve our country through technologically driven solutions and indigenous manufacturing.”

Dr. Sudhir Mishra shared, “Godrej over the years has made immense contribution to BrahMos and Indian defence sector. The delivery of the 100^th set of combat worthy missile airframes marks another milestone in our long relationship. Going forward, I am confident our partnership will continue to set new benchmarks ”

Who made this historic moment possible?

It was with the contribution, support and guidance of DRDO & MSQAA, that Godrej successfully developed and assimilated manufacturing technologies and quality practices to establish a world class manufacturing infrastructure.

Our final word

For me, I am going to start reading up and following Godrej Aerospace and BrahMos’ successful journey and keep myself updated with what they will come up with next. I also definitely want to start focusing on positive news and success stories from different parts of the country! 🙂