India conducted a live fire test of its BrahMos cruise missile in the early morning hours from the southern coast of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on March 29th. According to the Indian military’s Eastern Command, the Indian Army’s “Rising Sun missile specialists displayed their long-range targeting capabilities on Friday.”
The Eastern Command also said that the successful test “is seen as a significant reminder of India’s commitment to defending its sovereignty and maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.”
The test occurred on the lower part of South Andaman Island, at a location between Chidiya Tapu and Munda Pahad Beaches, located approximately eight miles (13 km) from Port Blair.
A Chinese satellite and missile tracking ship, the Yuan Wang 03, was also sighted sailing towards the area on the same day as the announcement, indicating that China wanted to observe the test to collect on the missile system.
India conducted the test to both test the missile capabilities and to determine the viability of stationing the weapon system on the island chain, with a deployment to the lower Nicobar Islands for tests likely in the future.
