Former Army Chief General JJ Singh, who approved the induction of the BrahMos in 2007, recollected the precision-ability of the missile, saying even during the testing-phase, it had the ability to go through the ‘window’ of the Pakistan Prime Minister’s office.Gen Singh (retired), referring to the recent surge in the popularity of the BrahMos, recollected how the induction had unfolded following successful tests of the missile and its accuracy.“President APJ Abdul Kalam, who had earlier headed the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), handed over a replica of the Brahmos missile system to me to mark the acceptance of the missile in the Army,” recollected the former Army Chief.He said, “I had witnessed the trials at the Pokhran ranges and approved its induction in the Army after seeing its accuracy.”A statement by the Ministry of Defence issued on June 21, 2007, said, “President Kalam handed over the replica of the BrahMos to Army Chief Gen JJ Singh, symbolising the commencement of delivery of the supersonic cruise missiles to the Indian Army.”The Government had approved induction of three regiments of BrahMos for the Indian Army. President Kalam had said at the event, “We have to aggressively market this world-class product…BrahMos will be the market leader in hyper-sonic cruise missiles.”While the anti-ship variant of the BrahMos was successfully inducted by the Indian Navy in 2005, modifying the system for the Indian Army had required conquering complex terrain challenges. Ground forces needed a system that could navigate the terrain, identify specific buildings or assets amidst civilian infrastructure, and survive enemy air defence.To satisfy the Army’s stringent qualitative requirements, a series of rigorous user trials were conducted. Just months before the formal induction, crucial final user trials verified the performance of pin-point accuracy, navigating terrain-hugging trajectories before zeroing in on its intended target with surgical precision.The induction of BrahMos in 2007 changed the calculus of deterrence along India’s borders. Prior to the BrahMos, the Indian Army’s deep-strike capabilities relied heavily on strike aircraft or heavy rocket artillery, which was limited to a range of 75 kilometres. BrahMos extended the Army’s immediate conventional reach to 290 kilometres, allowing commanders to have the ability to neutralise hostile command control centres, air defence radars, and forward logistics hubs within less than five minutes of a launch order.