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According to several media reports, India is now sending a second batch of the BrahMos cruise missiles to the Philippines. India is also in talks with a number of other countries, including Vietnam, for a possible sale. How did BrahMos become an Indian defence export success story?
It’s no secret that India has been aiming to grow its defence exports over the past decade.
A crucial piece of that has been the BrahMos missile system.
According to several media reports, India is now sending a second batch of the BrahMos missiles to the Philippines.
India is also talks with a number of other countries including Vietnam for a possible sale.
But what do we know? How did BrahMos become an Indian defence exports success story? And what do we know about India’s defence exports?
The BrahMos success story
As per New Indian Express, India has sent a second battery of the BrahMos cruise missiles to the Philippines.
It was India’s first major defence export order.
“The second battery of the missile has been sent in a ship this time,” a defence source told the outlet. “The first battery was sent in April 2024 in an IAF aircraft, with support coming from civil aircraft agencies. The long-haul flight carrying the heavy load was a non-stop six-hour journey before the equipment reached the western parts of the Philippines,” the source said.
New Delhi and Manila announced the deal for the BrahMos missile in January 2022.
The Philippines Department of National Defence had approved the $374.96 million ( Rs 2,700 crore) contract from India’s BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited – a joint Indo-Russian venture.
Under the deal, the Philippines would receive three batteries for the missile system as well as training for operators and the necessary integrated logistics support package.
India in April sent the first battery of the BrahMos cruise missiles.
A C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) transported the missile and the launchers to the Philippines for the country’s marine forces, official sources said.
The supersonic cruise missile can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms.
The BrahMos missile flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach or almost three times the speed of sound.
As per Economic Times, 83 per cent of the missile’s components now come from India.
As per India Today, the Indian Air Force recently successfully tested an extended-range version of the BrahMos from a Sukhoi fighter jet.
The missile hit a target from a distance of over 400 kilometres.
In March, the Chief of Staff of the armed forces of the Philippines, said his country is looking at the possibility of procuring more missile systems and other military platforms from India.
General Romeo Saturnino Brawner Jr, Chief of Staff of the armed forces of the Philippines, emphasised his country’s commitment to deepening its defence partnership with New Delhi amid growing competition from China in the Indo-Pacific region.
“We’re looking at the possibility of procuring more missile systems and other platforms from India,” he said. “We already have the BrahMos systems. We’re happy with them. We’re still waiting for the delivery of more components, but so far, they’re creating a very good deterrent effect in the South China Sea.”
The Philippines isn’t the only buyer.
As per India Today, India is slated to conclude a deal for BrahMos missiles with Vietnam.
The estimated $700 million deal is in the final stages of talks and is likely to be concluded in the months ahead.
Vietnam is eyeing the BrahMosmissile with an eye on China’s growing military assertiveness in the South China Sea.
There have been growing global concerns over China’s sweeping claims of sovereignty over all of the South China Sea, a huge source of hydrocarbons.
Several countries in the region including Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei, have counterclaims.
The UN’s Permanent Court of Arbitration, adjudicating the Philippines’ case against China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, ruled in favour of Manila. However, China refused to accept the verdict.
India has also been in talks with Thailand, Argentina, Indonesia and a few other nations that have shown interest in the system.
In January, Indonesia’s defence ministry sent a letter showing interest in a $450 million BrahMos deal to the Indian embassy in Jakarta.
In June 2023, Atul Dinkar Rane, at the time the CEO and MD, BrahMos Aerospace, said in an interview that many countries and organisations are interested in the weapon.
“People have showed a lot of curiosity. Be it NATO countries, many of the western countries, all across the world. They all want to have the BrahMos. One foreign naval chief said, ‘I do not want to be on the wrong side of this missile. I want it on my side,’” Rane was quoted as saying by The Week.
“Quite a few nations are talking to us. The Middle East is also interested. There are a couple of Latin American countries looking at it closely and we are in talks with them. There are a few African countries, too. So we are in talks with about a dozen countries.”
This development comes as BrahMos missile production is set to begin in Lucknow.
As per Hindustan Times, Singh is set to inaugurate the facility in the Sarojini Nagar area on 11 May.
The project, a joint venture between Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and BrahMos Aerospace, is part of the Lucknow node of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor.
At first, 100 missiles will be manufactured at the BrahMos Missile manufacturing centre.
In five to seven years, missiles worth Rs 900 crore will be made here.
“The BrahMos missile, manufactured in Lucknow, will not only be used in India but also exported to other countries,” Singh said.
As per ETV Bharat, The foundation stone of the centre was laid in Lucknow on December 26, 2021, in presence of Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The DRDO is set to invest Rs 10,000 crore in the project over the next half decade.
The centre is estimated to create 10,000 to 12,000 jobs for locals and opportunities for technical skill development.
India’s defence exports by the numbers
In the 2023-2024 Financial Year, India’s defence production touched Rs 1.27 lakh crore.
That number was at Rs 46,429 crore in 2014-15 – which makes it a massive increase of 17 per cent.
Defence exports surged from Rs 686 crore in FY 2013-14 to Rs 21,083 crore in FY 2023-24 –a 30-fold increase over the past decade.
Defence exports grew from Rs 4,312 crore in the 2004-14 decade to Rs 88,319 crore in the 2014-24 decade – a 21-fold increase.
Defence exports also increased from Rs 15,920 crore in FY 2022-23 to Rs 21,083 crore in FY 2023-24 – a 32.5 per cent rise.
India now exports defence equipment to over 100 countries.
The USA, France, and Armenia have emerged as the top buyers in 2023-24.
India’s top exports include bulletproof jackets, Dornier (Do-228) aircraft, Chetak helicopters, fast interceptor boats, and lightweight torpedoes.
India’s defence budget has increased from Rs 2.53 lakh crore in 2013-14 to Rs 6.81 lakh crore in 2025-26.
India has allocated Rs 449.64 crore to Innovation for Defense Excellence (iDEX) for the 2025-2026 Financial Year.
Singh in April said the value of India’s defence production this year is expected to cross Rs 1.60 lakh crore and the target is to manufacture military hardware worth Rs 3 lakh crore by 2029.
Singh added that the country’s defence exports should reach Rs 30,000 crore this year and Rs 50,000 crore by 2029.
Singh made the remarks at the ‘Defence Conclave 2025 — Force of the Future’ hosted by The Week magazine.
“The day is not far when India will not only emerge as a developed country, but our military power will also emerge as the number one in the world,” he asserted.
“This year, defence production should cross Rs 1.60 lakh crore, while our target is to produce defence equipment worth Rs three lakh crore by the year 2029,” he said.
The defence minister said that while India’s defence manufacturing capabilities are aimed at national security and strategic autonomy, they are also insulating manufacturing from global “supply shocks”.
Singh underlined that India’s growing defence capability is not meant to provoke conflict.
“Our defence capabilities are like a credible deterrence, to maintain peace and tranquillity. Peace is possible only when we remain strong,” he added.
In his address, Singh laid out a compelling vision for a “self-reliant and future-ready” India in the defence sector with a focus on indigenisation, innovation, and global leadership.
The defence minister said India is not only securing its borders but also positioning itself as a key player in the international defence ecosystem.
Singh said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the “revival and strengthening” of the defence sector is one of the biggest priorities for the government.
Singh also pointed out that defence production in India has risen from Rs 40,000 crore in 2014 to over Rs 1.27 lakh crore today.
On defence exports, Singh underscored that the figures had surged from Rs 686 crore in 2013-2014 to Rs 23,622 crore in 2024-25.
“Defence products made in our country are being exported to about 100 countries. Our defence exports should reach Rs 30,000 crore this year and Rs 50,000 crore by the year 2029,” he said.
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