Deceptions of Brahmos Missile Design

The deception used with Brahmos Missile is in its air intake design. Public photos show a fixed intake cone (conical centrebody). Such a cone is technically called conical shock centrebody because it creates a conical shock wave in front of the missile at supersonic speeds. Unlike shown in the public photos, this nose cone has to be moveable (moving forward and backward at varying speeds). 

It is the same as used in Mig-21 fighter aircraft air intake or Mirage-III's half-cone air intakes. Both in Mig-21 and Mirage-III, these cones are moveable and not fixed. It has to be moveable in Brahmos missile too. The engine in Brahmos is a ramjet engine, it is not a scramjet engine. Ramjet engine uses subsonic combustion even at supersonic speeds. Shockwaves are used to slow down the air flow to the subsonic speed. 

Now this has other serious implications for the missile too. The radar seeker shown on the electronic media has to fit inside the moveable nose cone, which means a very reduced size for the antenna and a very complicated design which is highly unlikely for a missile. Such missiles (e.g., British Sea Dart) use semi-active radar guidance with antennas fitted to the nose of the missile or they are passive. This means that such missiles home in on the radio or radar emissions from the target themselves OR an external source of guidance is needed.