India has deployed an Indian Army BrahMos regiment operating the latest Block III version of this potent supersonic cruise missile to defend the state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims belongs to it as South Tibet.

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Indian media is reporting a huge build-up of Chinese military forces all along the 4,057 kilometer Line of Actual Control (LAC). Arunachal Pradesh is the most northerly state along the LAC and one of the most threatened by China.

To be deployed to Arunachal Pradesh will be the 864 Regiment of the Indian Army's 41st Artillery Division. The regiment will operate from four and six BrahMos batteries and three to four Mobile Autonomous Launchers (MALs). The regiment will command up to 100 BrahMos Block III cruise missiles, each armed with a 290 kg warhead. It is the fourth missile regiment to be equipped with BrahMos.

The fire-and-forget BrahMos Block III, the newest iteration of this feared weapon, possesses unique trajectory maneuver and steep-dive capabilities that allow it to hit targets hidden on the reverse slopes of mountains. It can steep dive up to 75 degrees.

It has nine times more kinetic energy than sub-sonic missiles and is the preferred precision-strike weapon of the Indian armed forces. It is extremely accurate, having a circular error probability (CEP) of only one meter, and its combined hi-lo trajectory makes it a difficult target for Chinese air defense systems.

The land-attack version of BrahMos has been operational in the Indian Army since 2007.

BrahMos can engage ground targets from as low as 10 meters with minimal collateral damage. It is capable of being launched from multiple platforms like submarines, ships, aircraft and land-based MALs.

The Block III version was successfully test-fired in December 2010 from Integrated Test Range at Chandipur off the Orissa coast. Block III had advanced guidance and upgraded software, incorporating high maneuvers at multiple points and a steep dive from high altitude.

TagsBrahMos, supersonic cruise missile, India, china, Arunachal Pradesh, 864 Regiment, BrahMos Block III