BrahMos missile becomes cheaper as indigenous sources of supply come into play
By Vikas Gupta
Defence News of India, 23 Mar 23
Data Patterns Limited, one of India’s fastest growing and technologically promising aerospace and defense (A&D) companies, on Wednesday in Chennai unveiled indigenous BrahMos missile control equipment ( COE), ready for delivery to BrahMos Aerospace.
Indigenous companies such as Data Patterns are driving down the price of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system by designing and developing indigenous solutions to replace the expensive foreign parts of the Indo-Russian missile.
Before Data Patterns developed an indigenous COE, Brahmos Aerospace was paying a Russian supplier three times what it will now pay Data Patterns.
” I congratulate [Data Patterns] for delivering mission-critical systems on time on all programs they have partnered with. We are proud to be associated with Data Patterns and look forward to a long-standing collaboration,” said Atul Rane, who leads India-Russia joint venture BrahMos Aerospace,
“BrahMos is an important Data Patterns customer. We have always met all of their requirements on time, maintained quality standards and provided maintenance support, consistently exceeding uptime requirements. The local development of the COE by Data Patterns resulted in a direct saving of about 75% in foreign exchange for BrahMos,” said Data Patterns Head, S Rangarajan.
The Verification Equipment (COE) Data Patterns developed for the BrahMos is a three-bay test system that verifies the health and functionality of the missile’s electrical subsystems.
This unit validates the performance of the missile by interfacing with its umbilical and maintenance connections. The shelter-mounted COE can test items in the field during its life cycle, ensuring availability for launch at any time, without delay.
The COE has three main subsystems. The first is the main processor unit for “man-machine interface (MMI) such as keyboard, joystick, printer, monitor and external interface for storage media. The second is an “input-output subsystem” which interfaces with the missile for carrying out the test. The third is dedicated to self-checking and self-testing. The COE is designed for transportability.
“The COE was deployed by the three (armed services) to several locations across India today. We are delighted to see Data Patterns, an Indian company, leading the way in this sector. On behalf of the entire BrahMos team, I take this opportunity to congratulate them for delivering mission-critical systems on time, on all programs they have collaborated with us,” Rane said.
BrahMos Aerospace was established as a joint venture between the Indian Defense R&D Organization (DRDO) and the Russian NPO Mashinostroyenia, formerly known as the NPOM Federal State Unitary Enterprise of Russia.
The company was established in India on February 12, 1998, through an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA), between India and Russia.
The name of the missile system – BrahMos – represents the fury of the Indian Brahmaputra and the grace of the Russian Moskva rivers. The joint venture (JV), BrahMos Aerospace, was established with an authorized capital of $250 million, with 50.5% from the Indian side and 49.5% from the Russian side.
Data Patterns designs and develops electronic hardware, software, firmware, product prototypes and performs testing, validation and verification. Based in Chennai, Data Patterns employs over 1000 people and is among the top 500 listed companies in India.
The company works closely with defense public sector enterprises (DPSU) such as Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), and with organizations involved in defense and space research, such as DRDO and ISRO.
