The chief of BrahMos Aerospace said the India-Russia defence firm expects to clinch the contract this yearIn response to a growing Chinese maritime presence in the South China Sea, Jakarta has ramped up its military spending.
India-based defence company BrahMos Aerospace expects to close a deal this year to sell Indonesia supersonic cruise missiles worth at least US$200 million, as it looks to expand its presence in Southeast Asia, its chief executive said on Wednesday.
BrahMos, a joint venture between India and Russia, clinched its first foreign deal last year with a US$375 million sale of shore-based anti-ship missiles to the Philippines – part of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious push to triple defence exports.
The company has been in protracted negotiations with Indonesia and details about the size and timeline of a potential deal have not been previously reported.
BrahMos Aerospace CEO Atul D. Rane said that it was in advanced discussions with Jakarta on a deal worth US$200 million to US$350 million under which it had offered to supply shore-based missiles and a version that can be mounted on warships.
“I have a team right now in Jakarta,” Rane said, adding that a deal could be in place within the year. “The defence forces of Indonesia are extremely interested.”
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A spokesperson for Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday declined to give immediate comment and said he needed to first check the information.
BrahMos is also aiming to land a follow-on order of around US$300 million with the Philippines, where its missiles are expected to be delivered to the Philippine Marine Corps starting at the end of 2023, Rane said.
“The Philippines themselves have sort of indicated to us that this is just an icebreaker,” Rane said, referring to the 2022 sale. “They are looking at more systems.”
Source: SCMP
