Indian Navy Gets Rs 19,000 cr Mega BrahMos Boost

Defense News ,India :- The Indian Navy is all set to get a mega firepower boost. The Cabinet Committee on Security has approved the acquisition of over 200 BrahMos extended-range supersonic cruise missiles for deployment on Indian Navy warships, reports said on February 22 quoting top government sources.

The supersonic cruise missiles can be fired from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms, which makes them a highly versatile weapon.

The Rs 19,000-crore mega deal was cleared yesterday. The formal contract will be signed by the BrahMos Aerospace and Ministry of Defence in March first week, news agency ANI reported.

The Indian Navy deploys the BrahMos as a primary weapon system for anti-ship operations. The Navy has been regularly firing the weapon in its test attacks.

The business of BrahMos

The export of the BrahMos missile to the Philippines, the first global customer of this missile, is set to begin soon.

Besides the Philippines, many other countries in the Southeast Asian region have also showed major interest in the missile system. According to various reports, these countries are looking at the possibility of deploying the BrahMos in multiple ways.

It may be noted here that Modi has set a $5-billion target for BrahMos sale to other countries. As of now, the

Brahmos Aerospace, which is headed by Atul Rane, is working towards meeting that export target.

The BrahMos team is trying to meet the target by 2025. The export deal with the Philippines is worth $375 million.

The BrahMos Backstory

The BrahMos Aerospace is a joint venture between India and Russia. The missile, however, has been significantly indigenised. More parts of the weapons system are being indigenised.

In many test-firings, BrahMos missiles with a high level of local content have been used. Currently, the missile is being equipped with an indigenous seeker.

India's defence industry expects that the success of BrahMos with partner nations will open many more doors for India to sell other successful weapon systems such as the Akash, ATAGS howitzers, etc, among others.

Work is currently on to further improve the hardware quality of the BramMos to match global competition.

More and more Indian weapon systems have been showcased in foreign countries in the recent past. A few PSUs have also set up sales & support offices in countries where prospective markets seem to exist.