Did India use BrahMos on Pakistan? Here's what we know
What led Pakistan, which had launched Operation Bunyan Marsoos to counter Operation Sindoor, to broker peace with India soon after?
After four days of active military engagements, which included precision missile strikes, drone incursions, and artillery battles across the Line of Control (LoC), India and Pakistan reached an ‘understanding’ to halt all military actions on land, air, and sea, with effect from the evening of May 10.
In an address to the nation, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif too batted for adopting the "path of peaceful negotiations" to address India-Pakistan’s longstanding issues for the sake of regional peace
So, what led Pakistan, who had launched Operation Bunyan Marsoos to counter Operation Sindoor, to broker peace with India?
Attack on Pakistan's air bases
On May 10, reports stated that the Indian Air Force aircraft launched India's BrahMos-A cruise missiles targeting key Pakistan Air Force (PAF) bases.
Also read: Operation Sindoor LIVE: Might of Indian forces felt in Rawalpindi: Rajnath
Indian army confirmed that “air launched precision weapons” were used to target Pakistan’s air bases.
But, some reports suggested that India brought out its BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles. There was no official word on the use of the BrahMos, but if it was used then it would mark the first-ever demonstration of the cruise missile in actual combat, said media reports.
The discovery of a missile booster and nose cap near Bikaner in Rajasthan recently sparked speculation over India's deployment of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. The debris, identified as components typically discarded shortly after the launch of a BrahMos missile, was recovered from a remote area close to the Indo-Pak border.
Also read: Rajnath inaugurates BrahMos production unit
Also, speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the BrahMos Aerospace Integration and Testing Facility in Lucknow on May 11, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, "What is the BrahMos missile? You have seen a glimpse of the valour of the BrahMos missile during Operation Sindoor. And if the glimpse was not visible, then ask Pakistanis about the strength of the missile."
How powerful is the missile?
BrahMos is a two-stage missile, featuring a solid propellant booster in the first stage that propels it to supersonic speed before detaching. The second stage, a liquid ramjet engine, carries the missile to speeds nearing Mach 3 during the cruise phase. It is fitted with stealth technology and an advanced guidance system with embedded software.
According to reports, it has a flight range of up to 290 km with supersonic speed all through the flight. Its high impact force is bolstered by significant kinetic energy, while it can cruise at altitudes of up to 15 km and strike as low as 10 metres. It operates on a fire and forget principle adopting varieties of flight on its way to the target.
The missile carries a conventional warhead weighing between 200 and 300 kg. Compared to other subsonic cruise missiles, BrahMos has three times more velocity, two and a half times more flight range, 9 times more kinetic energy.
In an interview to CNN-News18, Dr Sudhir Kumar Mishra, ex-DG (BrahMos) DRDO said that the Brahmos cannot be intercepted by the air defence systems of Pakistan and China and neither can it be intercepted by any known defence system in the world.
Also read: China condemns Pahalgam attack, reasserts support for Pakistan in the same breath
Further, he had added that within minutes, it can reach 300 km and can also cause huge damage to runways.
Pakistan quickly dials the US
Indian intelligence agencies reportedly detected high alert messages on Pakistani defence networks, signalling this fear. Strategic installations in Rawalpindi, including offices linked to Pakistan's Strategic Plans Division, reportedly ramped up security protocols, said the report.
It was at this point Pakistan reached out to the United States to intervene urgently. According to government sources, US officials were in contact with both sides but with Pakistan's “strategic assets” under threat, Washington allegedly stepped in.