First induction into service: with the Indian Navy in 2005.

Good question. Here is when—and why—the BrahMos missile got its name and when it was formally established.

✅ When the name “BrahMos” was given / when the project began

The name “BrahMos” comes from a portmanteau of the names of two rivers: Brahmaputra (in India) and Moskva (in Russia). 

The joint venture that developed BrahMos — BrahMos Aerospace — was formed on 12 February 1998 under an inter-governmental agreement between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya (NPOM) so that the missile’s design, development and manufacture could start. 

📅 Key early milestones

First successful test launch: 12 June 2001 (from a land-based launcher at Chandipur, Odisha) 

First induction into service: with the Indian Navy in 2005. 

Later inducted by the Indian Army in 2007, and then by the Indian Air Force (after air-launched variant development) in subsequent years. 

🎯 Why this name?

The “Brah” part comes from the Brahmaputra, symbolizing India. The “Mos” comes from Moskva, symbolizing Russia. The name embodies the joint Indo-Russian cooperation behind developing the missile system. 

By using two river names, the naming underscores that this is not a purely Indian or Russian project — but a collaboration. 

If you like — I can also list all major naming- and milestone-dates (agreement, first launch, inductions, variant launches) in a table for clarity.