India has confirmed that Vietnam has signed a deal to procure the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, while negotiations with Indonesia have reached an advanced stage, marking another step in New Delhi's growing defence engagement with Southeast Asia.
The announcement was made by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday.
Vietnam deal signed, Indonesia talks in final stages
Speaking to reporters, Singh said both Vietnam and Indonesia were close to concluding agreements for the BrahMos missile system.
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"My understanding is that with both Indonesia and Vietnam, the deals are in the final stages. In fact, for Vietnam, I understand that it has already been signed – probably not publicly announced, but already signed," he said.
Highlighting India's approach towards the region, Singh noted that ASEAN nations remain important defence partners for New Delhi.
"India has a strong commitment to the ASEAN nations, and we treat all as friendly foreign countries with whom we can share advanced defence technologies," he added.
Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar confirms that the Brahmos deal has already been signed with Vietnam. pic.twitter.com/wFIRXQ3Kkh
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Growing list of BrahMos export partners
India has been steadily expanding its defence exports as part of its push to strengthen domestic manufacturing and increase its presence in global defence markets.
The Philippines became the first foreign customer for the BrahMos missile system after signing a landmark agreement with India. Vietnam now joins the list, while Indonesia could soon become the next country to acquire the weapon platform.
Reports indicate that Vietnamese President To Lam discussed the purchase of BrahMos missiles during his recent three-day visit to India. The proposed acquisition has been viewed as part of India's Act East policy and its broader strategic engagement in Southeast Asia.
During the visit, India and Vietnam also moved forward on discussions surrounding a possible $700 million missile deal.
At the time, the Ministry of External Affairs had said, "We (India and Vietnam) do talk about several platforms, and the BrahMos platform is also one of them and you know."
Indonesia eyes BrahMos acquisition
Indonesia entered formal discussions with India in March regarding the procurement of BrahMos missile systems. The proposed agreement is estimated to be worth between $200 million and $350 million.
While details such as the number of missile systems and the final contract value remain undisclosed, the deal is expected to benefit several Indian companies involved in supplying components and subsystems for the BrahMos programme.
What makes BrahMos significant?
Developed jointly by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyeniya through BrahMos Aerospace, the missile is among the world's fastest operational cruise missiles.
Capable of travelling at speeds between Mach 2.8 and Mach 3.0, BrahMos can strike targets with little reaction time for enemy air defence systems. The missile has an original range of 290 km, while newer extended-range variants can reach between 450 km and 800 km. It can fly at very low altitudes to avoid radar detection or operate at heights of up to 15 km, giving it considerable operational flexibility.
