India is mulling to sell highly potent BrahMos cruise missile to Indonesia, becoming the only second country to get the advanced missile from India. India-Indonesia Defence Relations are blooming amid looming threats from China. After Delhi-Jakarta collaboration on the Sabang Port, India-Indonesia Defence Relations are further set to enhance. Though India and Indonesia have not reached a final agreement on the sale of the BrahMos, the visit of the a team from the Indo-Russian company to the state-run PT PAL shipyard on the sidelines of the Indo Defence 2018 expo late last year was a significant step forward in efforts to sell the weapon system to a foreign country.
The Indonesian Navy already operates the Soviet-designed, Russian-made Yakhont export variant of the P-800 Oniks (3M55) supersonic cruise missile. Those missiles are deployed in vertical launch systems on board a single Indonesian Navy Ahmad Yani-class frigate. Besides the BrahMos, India has offered to supply coastal defence radars and marine grade steel to Indonesia and to service the Russian-made Su-30 combat jets flown by the Indonesian air force as part of efforts to deepen bilateral defence and military cooperation. The Indonesian and Indian armed forces have held exercises for several years and the first bilateral naval wargame was held last November. The first bilateral air force exercise is expected to be held in 2019, the people said.
The BrahMos (designated PJ-10) is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarine, ships, aircraft, or land. It is the fastest cruise missile in the world. It is a joint venture between the Russian Federation’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya and India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) who together have formed BrahMos Aerospace. It is based on the Russian P-800 Oniks cruise missile and other similar sea-skimming Russian cruise missile technology. The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.
It is the world’s fastest anti-ship cruise missile in operation. The missile travels at speeds of Mach 2.8 to 3.0, which is being upgraded to Mach 5.0. The land-launched and ship-launched versions are already in service, with the air and submarine-launched versions currently in the testing phase. An air-launched variant of BrahMos appeared in 2012. A hypersonic version of the missile, BrahMos-II, is also presently under development with a speed of Mach 7-8 to boost aerial fast strike capability. It is expected to be ready for testing by 2020. India wanted the BrahMos to be based on a mid range cruise missile like the P-700 Granit. Its propulsion is based on the Russian missile, and missile guidance has been developed by BrahMos Aerospace. The missile is expected to reach a total order US$13 billion.
