India signs BrahMos missile deal with Vietnam, Indonesia agreement in final stages: Defence Secretary

Singapore: India has signed a deal to supply BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to Vietnam, while a similar agreement with Indonesia is in its final stages, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar said during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

Responding to a question on the export of BrahMos missiles to countries in Southeast Asia, Kumar said Vietnam's agreement had already been signed, although it may not yet have been publicly announced.

"My understanding is that with both Indonesia and Vietnam, the deal is in the final stages. In fact, for Vietnam, I understand that it has already been signed. Probably not publicly announced, but it's already been signed," Kumar said.

The remarks indicate further progress in India's efforts to expand defence exports and deepen strategic ties with ASEAN countries. The Philippines became the first international customer for the BrahMos missile system after signing a contract with India in 2022.

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Kumar linked India's defence exports to its broader policy of building trusted partnerships, saying advanced military platforms and technologies are typically shared with friendly countries.

"Any country will sell its more advanced weapons and platforms to countries which are friendly foreign countries. Obviously, you wouldn't sell it to an adversary," he said.

The Defence Secretary said India views ASEAN nations as trusted partners and remains committed to strengthening defence cooperation with the region.

"India has a strong commitment to the ASEAN nations, and we treat all of you as friendly foreign countries with whom we can share advanced defence technologies," Kumar said.

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The BrahMos missile, jointly developed by India and Russia, is one of the world's fastest operational supersonic cruise missiles and has emerged as a key component of India's defence export strategy. New Delhi has been actively promoting the missile system to friendly countries as part of its push to become a major global defence exporter.