Close on the heels of the Philippines closing a $374 million BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles deal, Malaysia has evinced interest in the BrahMos NG (Next Generation) missiles.
Sources confirmed to Financial Express Online on the sidelines of the recently concluded DefExpo 2022 in Gandhinagar, “Another ASEAN member country Malaysia has expressed its interest in the BrahMos NG. It is keen to buy the missile which has been made in India under Indo-Russian joint venture as it can be fitted in the Russian Sukhoi-30; the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) is flying.”
Financial Express Online has reported that the BrahMos NG is not only lighter but is also compact and smaller and this next generation missile system can be fitted on different platforms.
Vietnam & BrahMos
According to sources, there is no deal with Vietnam. “As far as Vietnam is concerned in the region, no BrahMos missile or any other missile has been sold to that country,” the source mentioned above told Financial Express Online.
Indonesia & BrahMos
Talks with this country for the sale of the Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic cruise missile are already at an advanced stage. In fact, this will also be discussed when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Indonesia for the Asean summit next month. During his meeting with the Indonesian leadership this would be one of the topics on the agenda of bilateral talks between the leaders of both countries.
Since Indonesia already has Su-27 fighter jets in its fleet and Kilo class submarines, fitting the BrahMos supersonic missiles on board will not be difficult.
Also Read: First ever missile export from India! After ASEAN nation, next could be UAE
Other countries
Financial Express Online has reported earlier that several other countries from South America especially Brazil, from West Asian countries and South Africa have expressed their interests in the BrahMos-NG version of the missile system.
Financial Express Online has reported earlier that these missiles will be made at facilities located in the UP Defence Corridor.
More about BrahMos-NG
This missile which is being produced in India weighs between 1.4-1.6 tonne.
This missile can be integrated with the Russian Su-30 fighter jets and has a length of 6 metre. The missile has been jointly developed under an Indo-Russian joint venture – BrahMos Aerospace (BAPL) and after undergoing several tests in different configurations has been successfully inducted in the Indian armed forces.
This next generation missile with a speed of up to 3.5 Mach has a range of 290 km and in comparison to the earlier version it has a lesser radar cross section.
Also, according to sources, the BrahMos NG will have indigenous seeker with AESA radar.
For the IAF
The BrahMos-NG which is in the process of being designed and developed is expected to be part of the Indian Air Force by 2025. These next generation missile systems could be fitted onboard the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) as well as the Su-30 MKI.
Since the Air Variant of the next generation missile system is still in the process of being developed and designed the company is looking at a 300 kms range and there is a possibility of tweaking this – plus or minus.
“Countries including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have expressed their interest in the BrahMos-NG air variant which is expected to have a 300 kms range which is still in the development stages,” sources told Financial Express Online.
The company is already in the midst of looking at land targets and will move gradually to the sea target.