During the visit of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to India for the Republic Day celebrations for which he is the chief guest, a major defence deal is likely to be announced.
According to media reports, even as Indonesia is engaged in a territorial dispute with China and amid the growing assertions of Beijing in the South China Sea, the country is looking to ramp up its defence capabilities and is reportedly planning to seal a deal for the purchase of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles.
Developed through a joint venture between Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyeniya, BrahMos is a universal long-range supersonic cruise missile system that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms. The missile flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach or almost three times the speed of sound.
Indonesia’s defence ministry recently sent a letter to the Indian embassy in Jakarta, with the details of a $450 million BrahMos deal, reported The New Indian Express recently. The two countries have been discussing the procurement deal for a few years even as Indonesia has been facing budgetary constraints for going ahead with the deal.
However, there is no official confirmation on the deal yet from both sides.
If the sale happens, Indonesia will be the second country after the Philippines to procure the missile from India.
India, in April, had delivered the first batch of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines as part of a $375 million deal with the Southeast Asian nation to supply the weapon systems. A few other countries, including Argentina, have also shown interest in procuring BrahMos missiles from India.
