Indonesia's Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin's visit to India on Wednesday is expected to fast-track the purchase of BrahMos supersonic missiles by the Southeast Asian nation. Earlier this month, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had confirmed that Indonesia has made an official bid for the Indo-Russian weapons.
Bull's Eye !
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) October 11, 2023
The #IAF recently carried out a successful test of its Surface to Surface version of the #Brahmos Missile near the Eastern Seaboard archipelago.
The missile fire was successful and the mission achieved all its objectives.#AtmanirbharBharat@BrahMosMissile pic.twitter.com/YOHi5IKr1I
The defence deal is in the advanced stages of negotiation, and Moscow — whose approval is essential — is now understood to have signalled its willingness for it to proceed, a new report said. India is also on course to become a Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) centre for Indonesia's naval and air forces, the report added. The missile deal is said to be worth USD 450 million after Indonesia finally managed to overcome budgetary constraints that had slowed down the deal for some time.
For some time now, Indonesia's interest in the BrahMos missiles has been the talk of the town and was among the top agendas of the PM Narendra Modi-President Prabowo Subianto summit in New Delhi in January. Jakarta's leader was the chief guest at this year's Republic Day celebrations, and both countries affirmed their commitment to deepen collaboration in the defence industry by utilising the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC), The Economic Times said in a report. Chief of Staff, Adm Muhammad Ali of the Indonesian Navy had visited the BrahMos facility during the trip, the report added.
The demand for BrahMos
Earlier this month, the Philippines revealed the BrahMos batteries that it had bought from India. Three batteries of the Indian supersonic anti-ship missiles were procured in 2022. It will be missiles made at the Lucknow facility that will be reaching the Southeast Asian archipelago if the deal goes through, Rajnath Singh had said.
INS Mormugao's historic #Brahmos missile launch. Under the guidance @narendramodi Ji, we march forward towards a self-reliant India with very strong naval force! #AtmanirbharBharat pic.twitter.com/eUZllm63td
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) May 15, 2023
Russia is part of the equation as the BrahMos is a joint venture product developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyenia. The joint venture is responsible for the design, development, production, and marketing of the supersonic cruise missile system in collaboration with a consortium of Indian and Russian defence companies. India and Russia have an "in principle" agreement to export the missile to friendly countries.
As the intellectual property rights over the missile technology belong to both the countries, neither side can independently approve export deals for the missile.
FULL REPORT | Why does India need Russia's approval to sell BrahMos missile to Indonesia?
BrahMos originally had an operational range of 290 km, which was later extended to 450 km. These missiles are deployable from land-based mobile launchers, naval ships, submarines, and fighter jets such as the Su-30MKI of the Indian Air Force. BrahMos has been successfully employed in combat, notably during Operation Sindoor.
