India Seals Brahmos Deal With Vietnam
The Brahmos is one of the world’s fastest operational cruise missiles and can travel at nearly Mach 3,
After Philippines, it is now Vietnam that will be the new procuror of India’s Brahmos supersonic cruise missile, developed jointly with the Russian Federation. A similar agreement with Indonesia is in the final stages, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh has said.
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit, Singh revealed that the Vietnam agreement had already been concluded, although it has yet to be publicly announced. The deal is reportedly worth about Rs. 5,800 crores.
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“My understanding is that with both Indonesia and with Vietnam, the deal is in the final stages. In fact, for Vietnam, I understand that it has already been signed, probably not publicly announced, but it’s already been signed,” Singh said.
The Brahmos is one of the world’s fastest operational cruise missiles. Named as a mix of India’s Brahmaputra river and Russia ‘s Moscow river, the missile can travel at nearly Mach 3, which is almos three times the speed of sound. Capable of being launched from land, sea and air platforms, the Brahmos is designed to strike ships and land targets with high precision.
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The deal includes the supply of coastal defence missile batteries, an initial batch of missiles, training and logistics support. Hanoi may later acquire the air-launched version of the missile as well.
Other countries like the UAE and Malaysia have also evinced an interest in purchasing the Brahmos.
Singh flagged the deal as a part of India ‘s broader engagement with the ASEAN region, with India remaining committed to strengthening defence ties with ASEAN nations and was willing to share advanced defence technology with friendly countries in the region.
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The deal comes against a background of long lingering tensions in the South China Sea, where Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines have overlapping maritime disputes with China. Beijing claims vast areas of the strategically important waterway, but such claims have been rejected by several Southeast Asian nations.
– with inputs from IANS
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