New Delhi, June 30, 2026
Interest in the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile — a joint venture between India’s DRDO and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya — has expanded beyond Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia to reported enquiries from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Thailand, Brazil and Chile.
India is stepping up arms exports across Asia and talks with the United Arab Emirates are under way for sales of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile and, if concluded, would mark the missile’s first entry into the Gulf, according to multiple reports.
The BrahMos travels at around Mach 2.8, carries a 200‑300-kilogram warhead and has had its range progressively extended to roughly 450 kilometres in its most advanced variants.
The UAE is also in early talks with India to also acquire the Akashteera Air defence command-and-control system, developed by Bharat Electronics Limited alongside the Indian Army.
India is developing institutional infrastructure to be a long-term arms supplier with lifecycle support systems and end-use monitoring. Further, it is procuring diplomatic strength to manage consequences when its weapons are used in the field by importing nations.
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh told the Shangri‑La Dialogue in Singapore last month that India has signed a BrahMos deal with Vietnam and that an agreement with Indonesia is in its final stages.
The Ministry of Defence said Indonesia has backed a proposal to set up a Joint Defence Industry Cooperation Committee covering technology transfer, joint research and development and supply‑chain integration.
Analysts noted a pattern among recent buyers, that all of them have active maritime disputes with China, or other regional security concerns. They felt that India is only responding to market demand that happens to come from countries with China-related security concerns, adding that the sales don’t indicate any formal anti‑China move.
Defence ministry data showed that defence exports rose to a record Rs 38,424 crore in FY26, up around 62 per cent from the previous year.
Another recent report said that drones will remain among the fastest‑growing segments within India’s defence ecosystem, with the tactical drone procurement opportunity rising from Rs 30‑35 billion in the previous procurement cycle to nearly Rs 120‑140 billion.
India’s defence sector is entering a structural, multi-year growth cycle driven by indigenisation, increasing defence capital expenditure, rising exports and accelerated adoption of advanced technologies, it said.(Agency)
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