In a mega deal to boost indigenisation in the armed forces, the Indian Navy is looking forward to acquiring over 200 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles. As per reports, the acquisition proposal for the missiles will soon be taken up by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) led by the Prime Minister.
According to media reports, after a lock on the final numbers and configuration of the missile, the cost of the acquisition of BrahMos could be around Rs. 15,000 crores.
The Indian Navy is planning to equip all its frontline warships with BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles. This major acquisition would also allow the Navy to stock its inventory with the missiles already deployed on the warships and coastal missile batteries of the naval force.
It is also expected that the Navy will equip the Project 15-B destroyers and Project 17-A frigates among other warships with the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles when the delivery begins on approval.
Upgraded Missiles
Over the years, supersonic cruise missiles have witnessed major advancements. BrahMos, the Indo-Russian firm, has made significant improvements to the strike range of the missiles by increasing it from 290 km to over 400 km.
The missiles now contain a high level of indigenised content and several systems have also been indigenised to maximise the participation of Indian industry in the development of the ordnance. BrahMos Aerospace also conducted test-fire of the highly indigenised cruise missiles.
In January this year, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved the procurement of Brahmos Launcher for Shivalik-class frigates and next-generation missile vessels.
More about the missiles
BrahMos is the primary weapon system used by Indian Navy warships and has been installed on nearly all of the Indian Navy’s surface platforms. An underwater version is also being developed, which will be exported to friendly foreign nations and used by Indian submarines. The BrahMos missile has a speed of 2.8 Mach, which is nearly three times the speed of sound.
Increasing demand for BrahMos
In January 2022, India’s BrahMos and Philippines Aerospace Limited inked a deal worth around $375 million to procure BrahMos cruise missiles for the Philippines Marines. The BrahMos deal also included operators’ training course for the Philippines Marines which concluded this year in February.
The deal between the Philippines and BrahMos is a milestone in India’s efforts to become one of the largest defence exporters in the world. In addition, it also shows the growing capabilities of India’s public and private defence sectors. The country now aims to achieve $5 Billion of defence exports by the year 2024-2025.
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