Indonesia eyes BrahMos missiles in $450 million deal with India

Indonesia has formally expressed interest in acquiring the BrahMos missile system from India, a significant step given its strategic location near critical shipping routes, including the Malacca Strait.

India offers two export variants of the BrahMos: a shore-based version to target ships and land-based threats, and a ship-launched variant used by the Indian Navy for striking targets on land and sea. A third variant, launched from the Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet, is not available for export.

The $450 million deal is expected to be discussed during Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to India as the likely chief guest for the Republic Day Parade on January 26. While New Delhi has not officially confirmed the chief guest, sources indicate Subianto has been advised against combining this visit with a bilateral trip to Islamabad.

India may offer a loan to facilitate the missile purchase. The BrahMos missile, with a range of 300 km, has already been exported to the Philippines, which procured a land-based version capable of targeting ships at sea. The Philippines is embroiled in a maritime dispute with China over hydrocarbon-rich areas in the South China Sea.

Although Indonesia is not a direct claimant in the South China Sea dispute, it has firmly rejected Beijing’s unilateral nine-dash line that asserts claims over the region.

Indonesia, which joined BRICS in January last year, could potentially explore Indian Rupee-Indonesian Rupiah transactions under the expanded grouping that now includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE.

Developed jointly by India and Russia, the BrahMos missile, capable of speeds three times the speed of sound, is designed to evade detection and countermeasures.

Indonesia's interest in the system highlights its pivotal role in securing the Malacca Strait, where it conducts trilateral patrols with Malaysia and Singapore.