India’s BrahMos cruise missile, widely regarded as the crown jewel of the country’s defense products, is on the verge of expanding its presence in the Southeast Asian market, with multiple new deals reportedly close to being finalized.
The BrahMos missile is a product of a joint venture between India’s DRDO and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya. The missile derives its name from the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers.
In recent days, reports of Indonesia nearing an agreement with India to acquire the powerful BrahMos supersonic anti-ship cruise missile have captured headlines across Indian media.
Amid these developments, the Philippines, already an operator of the missile, appears to be reaffirming its confidence in the missile’s capabilities and is reportedly moving forward with an even larger order, this time for its Army.
According to reports, Manila is in advanced negotiations with New Delhi to secure additional BrahMos missile batteries. The country holds the title of being India’s first export customer for the Indian-made missile.
In 2022, the Philippines signed a US$375 million deal with India for three batteries of the shore-based, anti-ship variant of the BrahMos missile for its naval forces. The first batch of missiles was delivered by New Delhi last year.
From January 23 to February 11, 2023, 21 personnel from the Philippine Navy underwent training in Nagpur on the operation and maintenance of the BrahMos systems. Upon completing their training, they were awarded interim missile badges by then-Indian Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar.
The new report now indicates that the Philippines is exploring the possibility of acquiring nine additional BrahMos coastal missile batteries.
While the EurAsian Times cannot independently verify this development, the Philippines has previously expressed interest in expanding its missile arsenal.
In 2023, the then-Philippine Army Chief announced plans to procure advanced missile systems, including India’s BrahMos supersonic missiles and the American HIMARS MLRS.
At the time, it was anticipated that the Philippine Army would acquire only two BrahMos batteries. A total of five BrahMos batteries were expected to be deployed across two services of the Armed Forces of the Philippines for coastal defense operations.
BrahMos Takes Center Stage Against China
The BrahMos missile can be launched from land, sea, and air to target surface and sea-based threats. It has been a key component of the Indian armed forces for several years.
The missile is capable of reaching speeds of Mach 2.8, nearly three times the speed of sound, and has a range between 300 and 500 kilometers, depending on the variant and launch platform.
The missile is drawing considerable interest from nations in Southeast Asia. For example, Indonesia is set to sign a US$450-million deal to acquire the missiles, which, according to media reports, would mark India’s largest defense export agreement.
President Prabowo Subianto, who will be India’s chief guest for the Republic Day ceremony, may finalize the deal during his visit.
Vietnam is also in the process of negotiating a deal with India for the purchase of the missile, valued at approximately US$700 million, which would surpass Indonesia’s deal in size.
While it is still unclear which country will seal the deal first, the one that does will claim the distinction of being the second nation to acquire the BrahMos cruise missile.
Malaysia has also shown a keen interest in procuring the BrahMos missile, but unlike the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam, which are focused on anti-ship variants, Malaysia is reportedly targeting the BrahMos NG — a more compact version of the existing supersonic cruise missile.
The BrahMos NG is designed to be compatible with the Russian Sukhoi-30 fighter jets, which are also in service with the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF).
These nations have long depended on Russian military technology, but following the imposition of severe Western sanctions on Moscow, they have increasingly sought to diversify their arms suppliers.
Given that BrahMos was developed with Russian collaboration, these countries may find the systems more familiar, easing their transition to adopting the missile.
The surge in demand for the BrahMos missile also underscores the strategic recalibration of Southeast Asian nations as they bolster their defense arsenals in response to China’s military expansion in the South China Sea and the Western Pacific.
As a result, the BrahMos missile has ascended to the status of a strategically sought-after asset for the military forces of the South China Sea littoral states, thereby establishing India’s defense exports as a decisive force in shaping the geopolitical security framework of the region.
On the other hand, for years, Beijing has quietly raised objections to the export of BrahMos missiles to these nations, pointing to the long-standing maritime boundary disputes. Some reports suggest that China even approached Moscow to halt these sales, but such objections have since faded, with no significant impact on the transactions.
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