The surface-to-surface version of the Indo-Russian supersonic cruise missile Brahmos is ready for deployment ahead of schedule, Defence Research and Development Organisation officials said on Thursday. The launch of the missile was being planned for sometime next year.

The missile will multiply the army's firepower capability in the western sector, officials said. The army, as of now, has the 150km and 250km range Prithvi surface-to-surface missiles.   

The land version of the 290km range Brahmos is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads. It is mounted on a 12x12 drive carrier and is on display at the DRDO pavilion at the ongoing Defence Expo 2004 in Delhi.

DRDO officials said that a number of tests of the land version of the solid fuel missile had been carried out at the Interim Test Range at Balasore last November.

The scientists at the RDE engineering facility at Pune have now developed an indigenous heavy-duty Tatra-based carrier on which the missiles have been mounted, giving them all-terrain mobility.

DRDO chief Dr V K Aatre had earlier said that only the naval version of the missile had been cleared for induction.

Indian scientists have developed the missile's entire guidance system with the Russians only carrying out system integration.

The land-based Brahmos has a launch readiness time of five minutes. Officials said a group of launchers could form a battery under a command post.

The Brahmos missiles, DRDO officials said, were capable of being operational in nuclear, chemical and biological environment with the carriers being fitted with remote launch control systems.

The DRDO is also exhibiting the air version of the missile, whose length and diameter have been reduced to make them capable of being launched from recently acquired Russian SU-30MKI fighters.