BrahMos as South-East Asia's Missile of Choice: Strategic Intent Behind India's Rising Exports

When the Philippines had its landmark BrahMos deal signed in 2022, it was not simply procuring a missile battery; it was signalling a strategic alignment with India, by supporting a rules-based maritime order against an assertive China in the South China Sea. That signal has since grown louder, with Vietnam in advanced discussions with India, and Indonesia has also expressed its interest in procuring BrahMos.

Illustration by The Geostrata

The export orders surge is as a result of various factors converging with the missile's formidable technical credentials and limitations of western suppliers in delivering arms free of any political conditions as US and European suppliers are already overburdened and are tightening weapons exports, which can be seen in NSM (Kongsberg Naval Strike) missile being rejected for delivery for Malaysia, a decision announced by Norway in may 2026, even though deal was signed in 2018. India is deploying BrahMos as an instrument of strategic statecraft. What is unfolding here is not merely a commercial arms story but the story of how India is quietly rewriting the rules of defence diplomacy in South East Asia.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF BRAHMOS

BrahMos has two stages of propulsion. Initially, a solid propellant booster thrusts the missile past the speed of sound and then detaches. The speed of sound is approximately 1,223 km/h, which is also known as Mach 1. Mach 1 also acts as a physical impediment that many missiles and passenger planes struggle to surpass. Thus, the solid propellant booster helps in penetrating the impediment. Subsequently, a liquid-fueled ramjet engine plays its part by drawing in atmospheric oxygen for efficient thrust and to sustain the cruise phase at high speeds reaching between Mach 2.8 and Mach 3.

BrahMos is one of the deadliest cruise missiles in the world.

It carries 32 times more destructive strength and is four times faster than the U.S Tomahawk missile. It is nearly impossible to intercept, even with current technological advancements. It is 8.4 metres long, 70 centimetres in diameter and has a wingspan of 1.7 metres. The air-launch variants typically weigh between 2.5 and 3 tonnes. The ship and land-based variants can carry 200 kg warheads, while the air-launched variant can carry a 300 kg payload. It is also capable of carrying nuclear variants, significantly elevating its strategic deterrence value.

BrahMos does not solely rely on its explosive warhead for destruction; its supersonic speed produces massive kinetic energy that substantially boosts its destructive strength. With both the explosive warhead and kinetic energy combined, BrahMos can obliterate critical infrastructure, hardened military bases, and naval ships in a single strike. It also utilises advanced stealth to stay nearly invisible to enemy radars, featuring an extremely low Radar Cross-Section (RCS) due to its compact design and the use of specialised materials.

Its guidance system operates on the 'Fire and Forget' principle, requiring no additional operator involvement after launch. It incorporates a special navigation system that fuses the Inertial Navigation System (INS) with satellite-based guidance mechanisms such as the US' GPS, Russia's GLONASS, and India's NavIC and GAGAN. The centrepiece of this capability is the indigenously developed Indian chip known as G2OM (GPS, GLONASS and GAGAN on a Module). Weighing just 17 grams, it ensures targeting accuracy within 5 metres.

This chip will enable BrahMos's simultaneous utilisation of multiple satellite navigation systems, thereby improving reliability and precision in GPS-denied environments, and also ensures that if one guidance system fails, BrahMos can still locate and destroy the target with pinpoint accuracy. A single standard BrahMos missile costs roughly around $3.5 million, which is ₹34-35 crore. The price can vary, as the extended-range versions cost around $4.85 million, and the newer innovations like the BrahMos-NG are expected to lower the unit expenses significantly.

Recently, the officials at BrahMos Aerospace have also stated that the unit cost of the missile is anticipated to reduce by 20% over the next 18-24 months as the inclusion of indigenous content in the missile is increasing, to reduce the import dependency on Russian components. The increasing use of Indigenous Content (IC) also strengthens its supply chain resilience.

India’s vision for indigenisation promises strategic autonomy and uninterrupted production during geopolitical conflicts.

Several Indian enterprises, such as Data Patterns, have engineered the Fire Control System (FCS), and L&T Defence has also produced localised composite airframe and launcher production for the BrahMos missile. This leads to huge cost reductions and, importantly, self-reliance. 

The missile also achieves a Circular Error Probable (CEP) of less than 10 metres, and in some modifications, just one to two metres, making it lethally precise. It's good at executing complex three-dimensional flight trajectories in dynamic altitudes from sea skimming attacks of 5 metres above sea level to cruising altitudes up to 15 km and can even perform the infamous 'S' manoeuvre at Mach 2.8 speeds and execute steep terminal dives that render interception virtually impossible.

OPERATIONAL PLATFORMS

BrahMos missiles are highly modular and can be deployed across the full spectrum of the Indian Armed Forces. Its land-based system, is operational in the Indian Army since 2007, has also been deployed in various configurations with different capabilities confronting adversaries across diverse circumstances of conflict. The air-launched variant has armed the Indian Air Force's Sukhoi-30MKI fighter aircraft, successfully flight-tested on 22nd November 2017, delivering unparalleled air-to-land and air-to-sea strike capability with improved penetration and surgical precision. 

The ship-based system has been deployed by the Indian Navy since 2005 on front-line surface combat platforms such as destroyers and frigates, with salvo-launch capability, all-weather operability, and the firepower to undertake both high-sea and littoral missions. Finally, BrahMos was successfully test-fired from a submerged submarine platform in the Bay of Bengal off Visakhapatnam on 20th March 2013. Equipping submarines with BrahMos increases offensive strike capacity without compromising defensive strength, as torpedo tubes remain available for the latter.

INNOVATIONS

BrahMos's next generation of development focuses on hypersonic speed, compact dimensions, and extended range, making the missile lighter, smarter, stealthier, and compatible with a wider variety of platforms. BrahMos-NG (Next Generation) is the compact variant, smaller and lighter than the original, while preserving supersonic Mach 3.5 speed. It is designed to equip the light combat aircraft Tejas (carrying one to two missiles), the Sukhoi Su-30MKI (three missiles), and is adaptable for platforms such as the Rafale and India's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) in the near future.

BrahMos-NG is still in development, with an initial flight test planned for late 2026 and production expected to commence in 2027–28. BrahMos-II represents the hypersonic frontier, incorporating scramjet engine technology to achieve speeds of Mach 5 and above. An object striking a target at hypersonic speed produces nearly 36 times the force of one travelling at Mach 1, making BrahMos-II a potential game-changer in the future of precision warfare.

EXPORT MODEL OF BRAHMOS

One of the most underrated aspects of BrahMos's export appeal is what comes along with the missile itself. As India is offering recipient nations a comprehensive package, operational training, maintenance support, logistical infrastructure, and long-term serviceability with relatively few political conditions attached, which stands in sharp contrast to traditional Western defence suppliers, routinely conditioning arms transfers on human rights compliance, foreign policy alignment, and legislative approvals, which can delay or derail deals for years.

For smaller or middle power nations which are navigating complex regional security environments, this matters enormously as the ability to acquire a world-class deterrent without compromising their foreign policy flexibility is a rare proposition in today's arms market. India's approach based on the principle of strategic autonomy for both seller and buyer makes BrahMos an attractive offer across the Global South and the Indo-Pacific alike.

This model is deeply embedded in India's broader Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) vision with the push to establish India as a credible defence exporter.

The BrahMos Aerospace joint venture between India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyeniya has indigenised key components, with the next-generation BrahMos-NG targeting further domestic content. Each export order does double duty: it generates foreign exchange but also advances India's industrial defence ambitions.

The strategic logic is very clear. Nations that induct BrahMos into their arsenals will develop a dependence on Indian supply chains, training ecosystems, and maintenance protocols. Over time, this creates durable defence partnerships that go beyond transactional arms deals. India is not just selling a missile but is building long-term strategic relationships.

INDIA'S DEFENCE DIPLOMACY

BrahMos exports are sitting at the intersection of India's foreign policy priorities: Act East, the Indo-Pacific vision, and ‘Neighbourhood First’ engagement. Each of the primary recipient or prospective recipient nations of Southeast Asia, particularly those with South China Sea disputes, is responding with coastal denial systems precisely because the BrahMos's most important utility lies in countering Chinese interference in their naval operations and India, uniquely, offers both the technology and the political alignment.

As Southeast Asia's largest economy is deepening the Indo-Pacific vision by embedding New Delhi into ASEAN's security architecture, it is positioning India as a preferred security partner before any extra-regional powers fill that vacuum. The Philippines deal was pathbreaking not just commercially but also diplomatically as it marked India's first export of a major combat weapon system to a Southeast Asian nation, signalling New Delhi's willingness to play a proactive security role in the South China Sea, where China's grey zone tactics have created concerns among littoral states.

By arming Manila with a credible anti-ship deterrent, India positioned itself as a net security provider, not just as a trade partner or development lender. Vietnam represents the next logical step as Hanoi has a long-standing strategic interest in developing its coastal defence capabilities due to the history of maritime friction with Beijing, and a track record of defence diversification away from over dependence on Russian platforms.

A BrahMos deal with Vietnam will consolidate India's Act East credentials and also deepen bilateral ties under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework established in 2016.

Beyond Southeast Asia, interests from Gulf nations further add a layer to BrahMos diplomacy. India's relationships with the UAE and Saudi Arabia are multi-dimensional, encompassing energy, trade, diaspora, and defence. A BrahMos export to either nation will mark India's entry into the Gulf arms market in a serious capacity, and also signal Western suppliers that India is now a peer competitor in high-end defence exports.

This is also Make in India's most visible global advertisement, as every BrahMos battery deployed overseas is a demonstration of Indian engineering capability at Mach 2.8 to 3.0, which is credible enough to be trusted by nations facing real security threats. No promotional campaign can achieve what a live operational deployment does.

The BrahMos story is ultimately about India choosing to be a significant regional arms player in the region, because for decades, India was a major arms importer, in fact, the world's largest for over a decade (2010-2019) for several consecutive years. The pivot towards exporter status is not symbolic but structural, with India's annual defence production hitting a record high of almost Rs 1.27 trillion in FY24, up 16.7 per cent over the previous year's Rs 1.09 trillion, which meant the country's defence ecosystem has covered over 40 per cent of the ambitious annual defence production target of Rs 3 trillion by FY29. 

BrahMos sits at the centre of this shift with confirmed contracts exceeding $1.3 billion across the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia alone, as the missile system accounts for an estimated 15-25% of India's total defence exports in recent fiscal years, making it the single highest-value finished-weapons platform in India's export arsenal, and the sharpest instrument of its defence diplomacy reflecting the strengthening of India's defence industrial base and the recognition that durable partnerships in a multipolar world are built on mutual security interest, not just shared values or historical ties.

The demand for BrahMos across the Indo-Pacific and beyond tells us something more important about the current security environment: smaller and middle-power nations are looking for credible deterrents which they can acquire on their own terms, from partners who will not weaponise the supply relationship for political leverage. India, almost uniquely, offers that combination of advanced technology, reliable after-sales support, and strategic restraint in conditionality.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia have reportedly explored the possibility of buying BrahMos, which reflects its future potential to emerge as a missile of choice for Asia. In a matter of years, BrahMos transformed from a bilateral India-Russia joint venture to the Indo-Pacific's most sought-after deterrent system.

As BrahMos-NG moves toward production and hypersonic variants enter the development phase, India's next-generation export pipeline is seeded. The missile, which began as a bilateral joint venture in 1998, has now become the centrepiece of India's emergence as a responsible and capable security partner in Asia. That trajectory is not an accident, but the outcome of deliberate strategic choices and it will only accelerate.

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BY PUNEETH AND MUSTAFA

TEAM GEOSTRATA

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