India would soon undertake final trials of the 300-km range supersonic cruise missile BrahMos with live warheads, said Chief Executive Officer and Managind Director, BrahMos, A Sivathanu Pillai.

The trials would be prior to its induction on board naval warships, Pillai said.

He said the trials would be carried out in the Bay of Bengal off the Chandipur coast in Orissa.

He said the trials would lead to the induction of BrahMos missile, which had achieved almost cent percent strikes in test firing, on board the warships.

The Russian-acquired Kashin class destroyers would be the first ones to be armed with BrahMos in a sea-to-shore role.

Pillai said after the trials, the missile would soon be test fired in its surface-to-surface mode by specialised launchers and railroads.

"After a series of test firing in its surface-to-surface role, the missile should be ready for induction into the army by 2006", Pillai said.

He added Russian-acquired Sukhoi fighter planes were being modified to carry out the tests of the missiles in an air-to-ground role.

Refuting suggestions that Moscow [Images] and New Delhi were keener to promote the missile for exports, Pillai said the exports and induction of the missile in the armed forces would be carried out simultaneously.