India is close to finalising BrahMos missile export agreements with Vietnam and Indonesia worth over $450 million following Russia’s consent.
India has taken a significant step towards concluding agreements to export BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to Vietnam and Indonesia, with the combined value of the proposed deals exceeding $450 million. The movement follows confirmation from Russia, the joint developer of the missile system, that it has no objection to the precision-strike weapon being supplied to the two countries, defence sources said.
The assurance was conveyed during a delegation-level meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart, Andrei Belousov, on December 4. A formal no-objection certificate from Moscow is now awaited. The BrahMos missile can travel at almost three times the speed of sound, reaching Mach 2.8.
“Both Vietnam and Indonesia, after agreeing to the initial deals, may go for more orders in the future,” a source said. Once the agreements are signed, Vietnam and Indonesia will become Asean buyers of the air-breathing missile after the Philippines. India had signed a $375 million contract in Jan 2022 to supply three anti-ship BrahMos coastal batteries to the Philippines. “Manila, too, is likely to order more BrahMos missiles,” the source told the Times of India.
Wider defence exports and future plans
Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines share concerns over China’s strong-arm tactics and expansionism in the South China Sea, where confrontations, particularly between Manila and Beijing, have intensified over the past couple of years. India has also operationally deployed BrahMos missiles, whose range has been extended to 450 km from the original 290 km, from Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets for precision strikes deep inside Pakistan during Operation Sindoor in May.
Over the years, Indian armed forces have signed contracts worth around Rs 60,000 crore with the Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace, with the missile emerging as the primary conventional precision-strike weapon for the IAF, Navy and Army. India plans to start inducting the new 800 km BrahMos from 2028, with tests underway for the extended-range version featuring a modified ramjet engine and other upgrades, as earlier reported by TOI.
Beyond BrahMos, India aims to export indigenous Akash air defence missile systems, capable of intercepting hostile aircraft, helicopters, drones and subsonic cruise missiles at a 25-km range, and Pinaka multi-launch rocket systems. These are being offered to the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam, along with other “friendly countries” such as the UAE and Brazil.
Although India remains among the world’s top three arms importers, it exported arms, ammunition, defence sub-systems and components worth nearly Rs 24,000 crore to about 80 countries during the 2024-25 fiscal. Armenia has emerged as one of India’s largest buyers of finished weapon systems, including Akash air defence missile systems, Pinaka rocket systems and 155mm artillery guns, as reported earlier by TOI.
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