New Delhi: With India and Indonesia working to finalize a proposed Brahmos deal supersonic cruise missilesA senior Indonesian delegation on Sunday was briefed on the capabilities of the precision conventional weapon that has become one of the mainstays of the Indian armed forces.
The Indonesian delegation led by Navy Chief Muhammad Ali visited the Brahmos Aerospace headquarters and interacted with the CEO of the Indo-Russian joint venture Dr Jaiteerth R Joshi and other senior officials.
“The Indonesian delegation was briefed on the supersonic weapons system and its formidable capabilities. During their interaction, the two sides exchanged thoughts and ideas on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the area of defense and strategy,” an official said.
The proposed $450 million deal for Brahmos export to Indonesia would make it the second ASEAN country after the Philippines to purchase the air-breathing missile with a range of 290 km, as reported by TOI earlier.
The deal has been in the works for a long time, with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who was the chief guest at the Republic Day Parade, also discussing it as his country’s Defense Minister with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh during a visit to New Delhi in July 2020.
India and Indonesia on Saturday affirmed their commitment to deepening collaboration between their defense industries. “Recognizing the importance of building national defense manufacturing capabilities, President Prabowo appreciated India’s progress and expressed interest in strengthening cooperation in this sector,” a joint statement said.
“India agreed to support Indonesia’s ongoing defense modernization programs through expertise and experience sharing,” he added.
India has intensified discussions on exporting the Brahmos missiles to other ASEAN countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam after signing the $375 million contract to supply three coastal anti-ship missile batteries to the Philippines in January 2022, with a firm eye in aggressive China. Behavior in the Indo-Pacific.
Apart from the Brahmos missiles, which have been jointly developed with Russia, India also plans to sell the indigenous Akash air defense missile systems, which can intercept hostile aircraft, helicopters, drones and subsonic cruise missiles at a range of 25 km, to countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam.