2 countries inking deals for New Delhi to supply Jakarta with BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and Astra air-to-air missiles

 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Indonesia this week resulted in the two countries inking deals for New Delhi to supply Jakarta with BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and Astra air-to-air missiles, giving a boost to the South Asian nation's defense export ambitions and its efforts to strengthen security ties with Southeast Asia. "The growing trust between our countries is strengthening our defense, security and maritime cooperation," Modi said after his meeting with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta on Tuesday.

In 2022, India signed a $375 million deal to supply BrahMos -- which it has jointly developed with Russia -- to the Philippines, and Manila received its first batch in 2024, becoming the first country to acquire the missile from New Delhi. Vietnam has also agreed to buy BrahMos, though the full details of the deal have yet to be announced. There are also reports that Malaysia and Thailand are expressing interest in purchasing BrahMos -- which is equipped with stealth technology and an advanced guidance system, and can be launched from air, land, sea and underwater platforms. Now Astra, India's indigenously developed beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, has added another feather to India's missile export cap with Indonesia becoming its first foreign customer. Astra has a range exceeding 100 kilometers and is equipped with a state-of-the-art guidance and navigation system. Observers say that, apart from helping India expand its defense exports, these missile deals would lead to New Delhi enhancing its strategic footprint in Southeast Asia, where China and the U.S. were previously seen as the balancing powers.

India's defense exports rose from 6.86 billion rupees ($72.26 million) in the fiscal year that ended in March 2014 -- months before the Modi government came to power -- to 384.24 billion rupees in the last fiscal year, representing growth of over 5,500%. The industrial boost now helps the country procure about 65% of its defense equipment domestically. While New Delhi marked a major milestone with its defense supplies with BrahMos, its neighbor Bangladesh last month signed a key pact with China for developing an economic zone near the strategic Mongla Port -- close to the northern end of India's east coast -- raising concerns among Indian security analysts who fear it could enable Beijing to monitor Indian naval and army movements, highlighting the need for New Delhi to find ways to deal with the situation. Let's see what action India takes next. But before that, the outcomes of Modi's visit to Australia and New Zealand -- where he is heading after concluding his Indonesia trip on Wednesday -- are keenly awaited.