Janes:
After starting sales negotiations with Vietnam, India now plans to export its indigenously manufactured BrahMos medium-range anti-ship cruise missiles to at least 11 other countries, Indian officials and industry sources said.
Negotiations with Hanoi to supply the BrahMos, which features a 292 km strike range, were at an advanced stage, with Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar discussing the potential sale of the supersonic missile with his Vietnamese counterpart, General Ngo Xuan Lich, on 5 June.
The talks in Hanoi included the option of stationing a team of Indian technicians in the Southeast Asian country to offer the Vietnamese assistance in using the system. The transfer of the BrahMos could take place ‘shortly’, official sources in New Delhi said.
Moreover, India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) is believed to have instructed BrahMos Aerospace – a joint venture (JV) between India and Russia – to increase production to meet potential orders from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.
Sudir Kumar Mishra, chief executive officer of the JV, said in April that India’s ‘Look East’ policy is a key factor in supporting potential sales in the region. The ‘Look East’ approach has continued since the 1990s and is intended to develop economic and strategic relations in Southeast Asia to counter China’s influence in the region.
Industry sources said Argentina, Bulgaria, Brazil, Chile, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates are among the states that have expressed interest in acquiring the world’s fastest cruise missile capable of being fired from warships and land-based mobile launchers. India also plans to test-fire the cruise missile from a submarine and a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter.
Moreover, in a bid to support such international sales, Mishra revealed that BrahMos Aerospace has secured agreements from major submarine designers in “Germany, Spain, France, and Russia” to supply submarine design and specification data to the company so that it can integrate the missile onto their platforms.
