Nagpur: India’s first indigenous warhead for BrahMos supersonic missile would be delivered from Nagpur on Thursday by Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited (SDAL), which manufactures boosters for propulsion systems for missiles that hit up to 290km. If propulsion systems carry the missile, the warhead hits the target. Embedded with seekers, warheads can lock on the target and strike with precision, said sources.This would be a major step toward indigenisation, especially involving the private sector. Though India has missile manufacturing facilities, it was dependent on Russia for warheads, which is an intricate part of the system, said sources.SDAL’s warhead will be delivered along with the 100th booster made by it from the company’s plant on Thursday. The warhead will be taken to Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory — a DRDO facility in Chandigarh — where trials will be conducted before induction. The warhead delivery would be taken by the CEO and MD of BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL), Jaiteerth Raghavendra Joshi.The indigenous warheads have been developed by SDAL through a technology transfer arrangement with DRDO, which began its own process of developing an indigenous warhead in 2017-18, said a source. The trials mark the beginning of the production of warheads in India. BrahMos missile proved effective during Operation Sindoor.A missile system has three major components — booster that propels the missile, sustainer engine that keeps it going and finally the warhead that hits the target.
