India-Indonesia BrahMos talks advance; price, units yet to be decided

India used the missile effectively against Pakistan during Operation Sindoor last year.

• Indonesia agrees to acquire BrahMos missile system from India
• Deal aims to modernize Indonesia's maritime defense capabilities
• Discussions ongoing on cost, units, and technology transfer

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Indonesia has reached an agreement with India to acquire the BrahMos missile system, said spokesperson for Indonesia’s defence ministry.

Defence ministry spokesperson Rico Ricardo Sirait told Reuters that the deal forms part of Jakarta’s ongoing efforts to upgrade its military capabilities.

According to Hindustan Times, the cruise missile deal was discussed during the visit of Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, the defence minister of Indonesia, to India last November, as well as during President Prabowo Subianto’s state visit to India in January 2025, when he attended the Republic Day celebrations as the chief guest.

“Discussions are continuing on crucial issues such as the cost, the number of units and transfer of technology, which is a key issue for Indonesia,” a source told HT.

If the agreement materialises, Indonesia would become the second overseas buyer of the BrahMos missile. In January 2022, India had signed a nearly $375-million contract to supply three batteries of the missiles to the Philippine Marines.

In 2023, BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between the governments of India and Russia, told Reuters it was in advanced talks with Jakarta on a possible deal estimated to be worth between $200 million and $350 million.

Rico said the proposed agreement was “part of the modernisation of military hardware and defence capabilities, particularly in the maritime sector,” though he declined to confirm the overall value of the deal.

The report by Hindustan Time stated that Muhammad Ali, chief of the Indonesian Navy, visited BrahMos Aerospace, the manufacturer of the BrahMos cruise missile, during a trip to India in January 2025.

A team from BrahMos Aerospace had earlier visited the state-run PT PAL Indonesia shipyard in Surabaya in 2018 to study the possibility of integrating the missile system on Indonesian warships.

Apart from the BrahMos system, India has also offered to supply coastal defence radars and marine-grade steel to Indonesia, as well as provide maintenance support for the Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets operated by the Indonesian Air Force.

The deal with Indonesia is expected to be around $450 million. India used the missile effectively against Pakistan during Operation Sindoor last year.