VOI World/ Astha Pandey
In the recently held bilateral defence ministers’ dialogue in New Delhi. Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin visited India and expressed interest in acquiring both coastal batteries and sea-launched variants of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. During his visit he has also toured the manufacturing facilities of BrahMos Aerospace. The meeting also involved conversations over broader defence cooperation including exploration of joint work in defence medicine and pharmaceuticals.
For Indonesia this might come out as a sprawling archipelago, for them having coastal batteries and ship-launched missiles will not just boost their maritime deterrence and coastal defence capabilities but also provides them with strengthening its ability to safeguard critical sea lanes and islands.
BrahMos deal with Indonesia will potentially shift maritime-security equations, where more regional players gaining access to high-end capabilities could have potential to balance China’s growing assertiveness and also add a layer of strategic complexity.
On the hindsight for India, this dialogue and deal is beyond a bilateral boost, it will be a significant milestone for BrahMos Aerospace and Indian defence exports, which will be reinforcing India’s ambitions to be a credible provider of advanced weaponry in the Indo-Pacifi c.
If the deal gets finalised, Indonesia would become the second foreign buyer of BrahMos after Philippines, in a deal widely reported to be worth around US $450 million. This comes at a time when the makers of BrahMos are reportedly working to further upgrade its strike capabilities with range extension under discussion, from existing ~290 km to up to 500 km for land attacks, and 400 km for ship-launched versions.
The Indonesia Ministry of Defence has clarifi ed that while discussions have progressed with India, furthermore no fi nal purchase decision has been made.
However, the real question lies on the final verdict around the deal with both nations. This will also establish how India’s delivery, training, and integration would happen and whether other countries in Southeast Asia or beyond follow Indonesia’s lead with BrahMos interest
