Demand grows for BrahMos missiles – Indian defense minister

Around 15 nations have shown an interest in buying long-range BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, the country’s defense minister Rajnath Singh has said. The weapons were successfully used by India during its military confrontation with Pakistan in May. 

Speaking at an event on Sunday, Singh praised the “outstanding role” that the BrahMos missiles played in the conflict, which India codenamed “Operation Sindoor.”

“During Operation Sindoor, BrahMos missile achieved a miraculous feat. Now, around 14-15 countries want to have this missile,” Singh said. 

The missiles are manufactured by BrahMos Aerospace, an Indo-Russian joint venture named after the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers. India’s Defense Research and Development Organization has a 50.5% stake in the company, while Russian NPO Mashinostroyenia holds 49.5%. BrahMos missiles, along with the Russian-manufactured S-400s played an important role in defending Indian air bases and other military installations against Pakistani strikes during the four-day conflict in May.

The Indian armed forces presently rely heavily on Russian-origin equipment, with around 60% of their arsenal being of Russian make. 

Last month, Singh held talks with his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting in China, discussing the supply of S-400 systems, Su-30 MKI upgrades, and the procurement of critical military hardware. 

With India increasingly moving towards domestic production of weapons, New Delhi has welcomed Russian participation in its arms industry. 

Earlier this month, Russia delivered a new Krivak-class stealth frigate to the Indian Navy, the eighth such vessel to be handed over to India in the last 20 years. The frigate, which has 26% Indian components, was built at the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad. Indian specialists from the Warship Overseeing Team monitored the vessel’s construction.