NEW DELHI: With India and Indonesia working to finalize a proposed deal on the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, a top Indonesian delegation on Sunday was briefed on the capabilities of the conventional precision-strike weapon that has become one of the mainstays of the Indian armed forces.
The Indonesian delegation led by Navy chief Muhammad Ali visited the BrahMos Aerospace headquarters and interacted with the CEO of the Indo-Russian joint venture Dr Jaiteerth R Joshi and other senior officials.
“The Indonesian delegation was apprised of the supersonic weapon system and its formidable capabilities. During their interaction, the two sides exchanged ideas and insights on further strengthening bilateral cooperation in the area of defence and strategy,” an official said.
The proposed $450 million deal for the export of BrahMos to Indonesia would make it the second Asean country after the Philippines to buy the air-breathing missile with a 290-km range, as reported by TOI earlier.
The deal has been in the works for a long time, with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto – who was the chief guest at the Republic Day parade — also discussing it as his country’s defence minister with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh during a visit to New Delhi in July 2020.
India and Indonesia on Saturday affirmed their commitment to deepen collaboration between their defence industries. “Recognizing the importance of building domestic defence manufacturing capabilities, President Prabowo appreciated India’s advancements and expressed interest in strengthening cooperation in this sector,” a joint statement said.
“India agreed to support the ongoing defence modernization programmes of Indonesia through experience and expertise sharing,” it added.
India has stepped-up discussions on the export of the BrahMos missiles to other Asean countries like Indonesia and Vietnam after inking the $375 million contract to supply three anti-ship coastal missile batteries to the Philippines in Jan 2022, with an eye firmly on China’s aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific.
Apart from the Brahmos missiles, which have been developed jointly with Russia, India also plans to sell the indigenous Akash air defence missile systems, which can intercept hostile aircraft, helicopters, drones and subsonic cruise missiles at a range of 25-km, to countries like Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam.