Did India “Purposely” Fire BrahMos to Test Pakistan’s Defenses? Three Years Later, the Missile’s Might Reshapes the Narrative

In March 2022, a BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, a co-development product of India and Russia, dropped in Pakistan's Mian Channu, triggering a diplomatic crisis and raising suspicions about India's motives. Pakistan attributed the firing of the missile as "accidental" due to a technical glitch while it was being serviced, a version India initially supported. But, three years later, in May of 2025, news and analysis posted on platforms such as the Eurasian Times and articles posted on X indicate a salacious theory: did India intentionally fire the BrahMos to test Pakistan's air defense system? The repercussions of this event, combined with India's alleged use of BrahMos missiles against Pakistan during the 2025 "Operation Sindoor," have not just embarrassed Pakistan's military reputation but also revealed weaknesses in its defense system, reconfiguring the strategic balance between India and Pakistan.

The 2022 Incident: Accident or Strategic Test?

On March 9, 2022, a BrahMos missile flew 124 kilometers into Pakistan and exploded in Mian Channu, Punjab, injuring no one but destroying civilian property. Pakistan's army denounced the event as an "unprovoked violation," saying its air defense system picked up the projectile but did not fire, believing it was harmless. India's official response, released two days after the fact, described it as an "accidental" firing caused by a technical snag, with a promise of a top-level investigation. The relief of three Indian Air Force officers in August 2022 appeared to put an end to the issue, corroborating the accident story.

Yet doubt lingered. Defense experts, as quoted by the Eurasian Times, countered that the BrahMos, a guided missile with a 300-500 km range and Mach 2.8 capability, cannot be so readily fired by accident. The complexity of the missile's guidance systems and India's rigorous procedures left room to question the "technical malfunction" theory. X posts in 2025, recalling the event, lend further credence to this hypothesis. For example, a user @Indian_Analyzer posted that the 2022 launch was strategically aimed at probing Pakistan's air defense reaction and that the inability of Pakistan to intercept the missile revealed weaknesses in its radar and interception systems. Another May 2025 post by @MrGladPortBlair quoted analyst Spencer Guard and claimed, "India's BrahMos successfully penetrated Pakistani air defenses and delivered a strong message: India can strike anywhere in Pakistan at any time.

Operation Sindoor: BrahMos Shows Its Strength

Flash forward to May 2025, and the BrahMos missile was back in the limelight with "Operation Sindoor," a supposed Indian military operation against Pakistani airfields. According to several X posts, India launched more than 15 BrahMos missiles, hitting vital Pakistani military infrastructure with accurate precision. @Indian_Analyzer asserted that the attacks "destroyed 20% of Pakistan's military infrastructure," prompting Pakistan to ask for a ceasefire. Pakistan Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed conceded that a BrahMos missile traversed Shahbaz Air Base, aiming towards an adjacent nation, thus further proving Pakistan's inability to intercept the missile's speed and stealth.

If true, these raids highlight the destructive potential of the BrahMos. With a 200-300 kg warhead capacity and the option to be fired from land, sea, air, or submarines, the missile's flexibility and accuracy make it a game-changer. Stories by @TimesNow and @RShivshankar on X vindicate Pakistan's confirmation of BrahMos attack on its bases, whose impact generated "insecurity" among Pakistani generals. The mission not only proved India's attack capability but reaffirmed the significance of the 2022 event: if indeed India tested Pakistan's defenses, it gained valuable intelligence to guide its strategy in 2025.

The Human Factor: Pride, Fear, and Geopolitical Interests

As a human being reading about this saga, I am aghast and apprehensive. BrahMos, an icon of Indian technological advancement, has clearly altered the power dynamics in South Asia. For Indians, it is a matter of pride—a domestic missile, co-developed with Russia, demonstrating its capabilities against a competitor's defense. The story that India might have "intentionally" launched the missile in 2022 to reveal the weaknesses of Pakistan is dizzying for those who view it as a stroke of strategic genius. It implies that India has played a patient game, learning about the air defenses of Pakistan so that its future operations such as Sindoor can be successful.

However, this brinkmanship asks disturbing questions. If the 2022 launch was deliberate, it was a dangerous gamble, contrary to international norms and inviting a response. Pakistan's restraint at the time, perhaps because it was unable to intercept the missile, prevented a crisis, but the 2025 strikes illustrate how quickly tensions can escalate. As one who prefers peace, I fear the cost in human life of such brinkmanship. The alleged destruction of 20% of Pakistan's military infrastructure is not only a weakening of its military—it's a humiliation that can lead Pakistan to the brink of desperation, considering its economic vulnerability and internal political instability.

Pakistan's Lost Image and Strategic Consequences

The BrahMos incidents have badly damaged Pakistan's military reputation. Its air defense array, which includes Chinese-donated HQ-9 missiles, was unable to neutralize the BrahMos both in 2022 and 2025, revealing technological and operational vulnerabilities. X posts, such as from @sanjoychakra, observe that Pakistan's Fatah-II ballistic missiles, employed in a retaliatory response in Operation Sindoor, were unable to match the BrahMos's effect, once again illustrating the imbalance. This has international ramifications: Pakistan's allies, especially China, are under pressure from the effectiveness of their defense mechanisms, as @MrGladPortBlair highlighted, that Chinese aerial defenses were "sub-par" when contrasted with India's capabilities.

For India, success with the BrahMos reinforces its strategic deterrence and enhances its defense sector. The missile's visibility has created demand, with nations such as the Philippines and Indonesia inking deals for exports of BrahMos. But this victory comes at a risk. India's aggressive stance may strain its relationship with China, which sees the BrahMos as a challenge to its regional dominance. Second, the story of a "deliberate" 2022 launch, though unsubstantiated, stokes suspicion, making it more difficult for diplomats to stabilize South Asia.

Looking Ahead: A Region on Edge

The BrahMos story—either a mistaken misfire or a test—has rewritten India-Pakistan relations. The 2022 episode, earlier explained away as a faux pas, now seems to be an opener to India's unleashing of the missile in 2025. For Pakistan, the message is unambiguous: get modernized or stand a chance of further humiliation. For India, the BrahMos is a symbol of its increasing military strength, but it has to tread carefully between deterrence and aggression.

The BrahMos's power to "dig holes" in Pakistan's bases and reputation serves as a harsh reminder of the double-edged sword of technology: it has the power to defend and empower, but also to destabilize. The world waits with South Asia, and the next step—diplomatic or military—will decide the future of the region. For the time being, the BrahMos is a testimony to India's determination, but also a signal: in the missile game, the stakes are bigger than ever.