After Philippines, Indonesia agrees to procure BrahMos missiles from India

Indonesia has entered into an agreement with India to buy the BrahMos missile system, its defence ministry spokesperson Rico Ricardo Sirait said on Monday. Jakarta is the second Southeast Asian nation after the Philippines to purchase the BrahMos, reinforcing India’s “Make in India” initiative and strengthening Indo-Pacific security cooperation.As per reports, the BrahMos deal with Indonesia is expected to be around $450 million (nearly Rs 3,800 crore).“Indonesia has partnered with India in the procurement of the BrahMos missile system. This is part of our efforts to modernise our weaponry, especially in beefing up our coastal defense,” Rico told an Indonesian news outlet. According to Rico, the procurement further strengthens Jakarta-New Delhi’s strategic partnership in the defence field.

The new system is also expected to “boost deterrence capabilities in safeguarding national sovereignty”.Rico said the agreement was “part of Indonesia’s modernisation of military hardware and defence capabilities, especially in the maritime sector”.BrahMos, a company co-owned by the Indian and Russian govts, has been in discussions with Indonesia for the sale of the cruise missile. So, any defence deal on BrahMos missile has to be agreed by both India and Russia.

The agreement follows prolonged negotiations that gained momentum during high-level visits, including discussions at the India-Indonesia Defence Ministers' Dialogue in 2025.Earlier in 2022, Manila had signed a $375 million contract for three shore-based anti-ship BrahMos batteries, with the first batch of deliveries taking place in 2024. The Philippines military brass has described the system as a game-changer and expressed interest in additional procurements.Several other nations are in advanced discussions or have expressed formal interest in the missile system. Vietnam is reportedly close to finalising a major BrahMos deal, valued at $700 million to enhance its naval and maritime defences. Malaysia has also expressed interest in the air-launched variant of BrahMos to equip its Su-30MKM fighter jets.Reports indicate that Thailand, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Egypt and several Latin American countries have also shown interest or are in various stages of talks with India for the BrahMos deal.BrahMos is the world's fastest operational supersonic cruise missile, with a top speed between Mach 2.8 and 3.0 (1 km/s). It maintains this speed throughout its flight, allowing for rapid, low-altitude, high-precision, and difficult-to-intercept strikes. The missile is a versatile, multi-platform system capable of being launched from land-based canisters, sea-based platforms (ships), submarines, and air-based platforms.During the four-day conflict with Pakistan last year during Operation Sindoor, India used these cruise missiles to damage Pakistani air bases and other military infrastructure.Following the high performance of BrahMos missiles in Operation Sindoor, the defence ministry has cleared major orders for additional systems to be deployed on Indian Navy warships and for IAF.