The Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace has announced plans to start work on an advanced version of a supersonic air-launched cruise missile. The BrahMos-2 will be tested this year.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has placed the first order for the air-launched adaptation of the cruise missile, according to BrahMos Aerospace CEO Sudhir Kumar Mishra. He declined to comment on the number of missiles in the contract.

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The new missile is to be integrated into the Sukhoi-30 MKI multirole fighter. The land version of the missile is currently used in the Indian Army. As BrahMos-2 is the heaviest missile ever flown on a Su-30, the aircraft will undergo structural modifications to accommodate the load.

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The INDIAN missile BrahMos-2 is the fastest hypersonic missile in the world traveling at a speed of Mach-7. #ProudIndian — Mohil Siyani (@Mohil23) January 24, 2016

Modeled on the original design, BrahMos 2 is a supersonic cruise missile powered by an air-breathing engine. It will be capable of reaching speeds up to Mach 7 (or 5,238 mph). BrahMos-2 is 'the war winner missile' according to Sivathanu Pillai, the founder of the aerospace company.

Moscow & Delhi to invest $8 billion in 5th generation fighters https://t.co/hQruyrA5k0pic.twitter.com/iZAoCT1aum — RT (@RT_com) January 25, 2016

BrahMos Aerospace started in 1998 and took its name from two rivers, the Brahmaputra and the Moscow. India is the majority shareholder in the company, with a 50.5 percent share stake. Russia owns the remaining 49.5 percent.