Indonesia inks BrahMos deal with India amid defence export push, second buyer after Philippines

A Naval officer walks past Army's BrahMos weapon systems

• Indonesia signs deal to buy BrahMos missile from India
• BrahMos is an India-Russia supersonic cruise missile.
• Indonesia is the second foreign buyer after the Philippines

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Indonesia has entered into an agreement with India to procure the BrahMos missile system, its defence ministry spokesperson Rico Ricardo Sirait told Reuters on Monday, making Jakarta the second foreign buyer of the supersonic cruise missile after the Philippines.

In 2023, BrahMos, a company co-owned by the Indian and Russian governments, told Reuters it was in advanced discussions with Jakarta on a deal worth $200 million to $350 million.

Rico said the agreement was "part of the modernisation of military hardware and defence capabilities, especially in the maritime sector."

He declined to confirm the total value of the agreement.

The company clinched its first foreign deal with the Philippines, Indonesia's Southeast Asian neighbour, in 2022. Last year, India delivered the first batch of BrahMos missiles to the Philippines.

BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd, an India-Russian joint venture, produces the supersonic cruise missiles that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms.

The BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile jointly developed by India and Russia and is one of the Indian Armed Forces' key weapons, used by the Army, Navy and Air Force.

During the four-day conflict during Operation Sindoor, the same missile was used to strike Pakistani air bases, cantonments and other military infrastructure.

The missile has drawn interest after its effective use during Operation Sindoor, in which it struck several Pakistani air bases with high accuracy and left many of them out of use for days.

Following its use in the conflict, the Defence Ministry cleared a major order for additional BrahMos systems for the Indian Navy's warships, along with ground- and air-launched variants for the Indian Air Force.

The Indian Navy plans to equip its Veer-class warships with the missile, while the Air Force is using it with its Su-30MKI fleet.

The BrahMos was the Indian Air Force's main weapon in those strikes, which caused significant damage to Pakistani air bases. The Pakistan Army later attempted to respond in support of these terrorist groups and their infrastructure.

The missile, equipped with advanced guidance and control systems, validated its performance, high-speed flight stability and terminal accuracy by engaging a designated target with precision.