Jakarta (Agencies): 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.