NEW DELHI: India is now working to close a $450 million deal for BrahMos export supersonic cruise missiles to Indonesia, which would make it the second ASEAN country after the Philippines to purchase the precision strike missile with a range of 290 kilometers. The proposed deal has been in the works for a long time, and Indonesia’s Defense Minister discussed the deal with his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh, during a visit to New Delhi in July 2020. “There are some budget constraints, but the discussions have progress toward concluding the deal with BrahMos now,” a source said.
India has intensified discussions on exporting BrahMos to other ASEAN countries after signing a $375 million contract to supply coastal anti-ship missile batteries to the Philippines in January 2022, with an eye on China’s aggressive behavior in the Indo-Pacific. Apart from the brahmos missileswhich have been jointly developed with Russia, India also plans to sell indigenous Akash air defense missile systems, which can intercept hostile aircraft, helicopters, drones and subsonic cruise missiles at a distance of 25 km, to countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam.