As India works to invite Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto as the Chief Guest for its Republic Day parade, the two countries are thrashing out details for an export deal for the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.
India has been in talks with several Southeast Asian countries about exporting the missile. In December 2024, when Indian Navy Chief Dinesh Kumar Tripathi visited Indonesia, the potential sale of BrahMos was discussed.
Indonesia’s defense minister, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, recently confirmed that collaboration on BrahMos technology was on the agenda. The deal has been on the anvil for some time now, but budget constraints have kept the Indonesian government from proceeding. The Indonesian President is now pushing for an increase in the defense budget.
The Indonesian President’s visit to New Delhi and his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi will likely accelerate bilateral defense cooperation, particularly the sale of the BrahMos missiles to Indonesia.
In September 2024, a high-level Indonesian delegation led by Maj. Gen. Yunianto from the National Resilience Institute of Indonesia visited BrahMos Aerospace to discuss potential military cooperation.
Indonesia, which has been modernizing its military, is particularly interested in the air-launched version of the BrahMos missile. Indonesia already operates Russian Su-27 fighters and Kilo-class submarines.
BrahMos is a joint venture between India and Russia. However, both nations must approve the sale of these missiles to third parties.
India is likely to offer Indonesia a loan from the State Bank of India or any other Indian national bank. Initially, the EXIM (Export-Import) Bank was scheduled to process the loan, but this did not materialize.
The BrahMos dubbed the Indian ‘Brahmastra’ or celestial weapon, is part of India’s Nuclear triad, which allows the country to strike back after being hit by a nuclear weapon. It is the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile, and it can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms.
India is already in talks with Vietnam for a $700 million deal for BrahMos missiles.
India has also been pushing its weapon systems to the Southeast Asian countries to help them against the expansionist designs of China. India is working through the Line of Credit (LoC) method to help the Southeast Asian countries to bolster their defenses.
The Indo-Russian missiles have already been deployed in the South China Sea after India delivered the first batch of BrahMos to the Philippines.
BrahMos’ new director general, Jaiteerth Joshi, has said the firm expects a new export order soon.
“There are many countries that have evinced a strong interest in buying BrahMos. We are advancing our negotiations with all the interested parties and are quite hopeful of signing our next export order soon,” he said. The portfolio of orders of the Indian-Russian producer of supersonic missiles BrahMos has reached $7 billion.
Earlier in 2024, Managing Co-Director of BrahMos Aerospace Alexander Maksichev was quoted by the Russian agency TASS saying that Indonesia, Vietnam, and the United Arab Emirates have expressed interest in the missile.
India possesses a larger share of 50.5% in BrahMos Aerospace Private Ltd., while Russia holds 49.5%, seemingly implying that Moscow is a junior financial partner in the joint venture. However, it is the big brother regarding BrahMos’ technological partnership and wields a veto over potential buyers.
BrahMos cruises at three times the speed of sound, making it difficult for the enemy to bring it down. One of its special features is its ability to fly extremely close to the ground to avoid missile defense systems. In fact, during the terminal phase, the missile can fly as low as 10 meters to the ground.
The air-breathing BrahMos has become the “prime conventional strike weapon” for the Indian Armed forces. The Indian Army has deployed the land version of the missiles in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh along its border with China.
Ten Indian Navy warships have been armed, and five other vessels are fitted with vertical launch systems. The IAF has modified 40 of its Sukhois to deliver an air version of BrahMos, and the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) aircraft maker will incrementally modify all of them.
Over the years, BrahMos has undergone multiple upgrades through better software and hardware changes that have enhanced its range. BrahMos Aerospace is also in the process of developing other versions of its missile besides developing a hypersonic missile that would have a speed of Mach 8 and a possible range of 800 km.
In early 2024, the Indian Navy test-fired its extended-range land-attack BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. BrahMos has become the primary weapon of the Indian Navy and is replacing all old missiles with the BrahMos.
More Defense Deals On Cards With Indonesia
In addition to the BrahMos, Indonesian President Prabowo could also seek India’s support for maintaining the Indonesian Air Force’s Sukhoi-30 fighter jets.
The Indonesian Air Force has Su27, Su30 MKK/MK2, and Su30 MKI in its fleet. The Indian Air Force operates one of the largest fleets of Sukhoi Su-30 MKI, and Indian state-owned HAL has been undertaking its maintenance.
India has been keen to conclude several defense deals with Indonesia, including for Indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Tejas), possible Akash surface-to-missile systems, and helicopters, among others.
