Alexander Leonov, noted Russian missile scientist and the brain behind the BrahMos missile has passed away at the age of 74. Leonov was the CEO of NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPO Mash), the company behind some of the most pathbreaking and technologically advanced missiles of the current generation. Leonov was also the Chief Designer at the same organisation. The Russian scientist was born in 1952, graduated from the Moscow Institute of Aviation, and joined NPO Mash in 1975, according to a Russian news portal. The famed Russian scientist was also key in developing other prominent missiles such as the Zircon missile, the P-800 Onyx (the missile on which the BrahMos is based) and the Indo-Russian BrahMos missile, which is named after India's Brahmaputra River and Russia's Moscova River.The BrahMos has been a critical weapon system in Indian service. The Indian Air Force deployed the air-launched version of the weapon during the active phase of Operation Sindoor. The BrahMos was used to hit many airfields in Pakistan, rendering many of these airbases by disabling runways. The missle hit its target with pinpoint accuracy during the operation. The frontline ships of the Indian Navy use the BrahMos as their primary anti-ship weapon, a few of the army's artillery regiments are equipped with the missile and two IAF Su-30 MKI fighter squadrons are equipped to carry this missile.India has developed many versions of the missile and has considerably expanded the missile use envelope from the initial 290km to now 800km. In India, the weapon is operated by the army, the air force ad the navy. Efforts are underway to make an improves and lighter air-launched variant of the missile that could be carried by other lighter fighter aircraft such as the Tejas, Sukhoi-30MKI, MiG-29 and the Tejas Mk2.Besides the BrahMos, Leonov was also a central figure in developing the feared Zircon hypersonic cruise missile. The Zircon, a ship-fired cruise missile can fly as fast as Mach 9 or a little over 11,000 km per hour, thats near 180 km per minute, according to the scientific periodical Popular Mechanics.