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India has officially announced the sale of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system to Vietnam, another significant milestone in New Delhi’s growing defence export programme and deepening strategic ties with Southeast Asia.
The confirmation came at the Shangri-La Dialogue, where Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, responding to a question from a Vietnamese delegate, revealed that the agreement had already been signed. The announcement represents the first public confirmation of a deal that had been the subject of extensive speculation and negotiations for several years.
Vietnam becomes the second Southeast Asian country after the Philippines to acquire the BrahMos missile system, one of India’s most successful defence exports. Singh also indicated that India remains willing to share advanced defence technologies and platforms with friendly foreign partners as part of its broader effort to strengthen security cooperation across the Indo-Pacific.
The missile sale comes amid growing defence engagement between New Delhi and Hanoi. Earlier this month, the two countries agreed to deepen cooperation in defence and maritime security, while also exploring collaboration in areas such as missile systems and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services. The discussions followed a series of high-level exchanges, including the visit of Vietnamese President To Lam to India and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s subsequent visit to Vietnam.
Widely regarded as one of the fastest operational supersonic cruise missiles in the world, the BrahMos is co-developed by India and Russia. The export variant has a range of 290 kilometres and still has the high-precision strike capability, making it ideally suited for coastal defence and maritime security operations.
Long Road to The Deal
Both countries have been steadily enhancing defence cooperation over the last decade, with talks on the possible transfer of the BrahMos missile system dating back several years.
The issue figured prominently during the 2016 visit of then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to Vietnam, when both sides explored avenues for deeper defence-industrial cooperation. Since then, regular military exchanges, training programmes, naval interactions and defence dialogues have helped create the foundation for more ambitious collaboration.
The BrahMos was identified as a strong candidate due to its proven operational record, versatility and suitability for coastal defence missions. The deal is also a sign of the growing trust between the two countries, which have upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and more closely aligned their views on regional security and maritime stability.
Why BrahMos Matters
It has become the flagbearer of India’s defence export portfolio. The missile, jointly developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya, can fly at nearly three times the speed of sound while maintaining a high degree of accuracy.
This missile has the ability to be launched from land-based platforms, warships and aircraft. And it also provides operational flexibility.
The system is preferred by the armed forces for its speed, low-altitude flight profile and ability to strike high-value targets with limited warning time. And its successful induction into the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force has further boosted its reputation.
The deal with another ASEAN nation comes amid increasing interest in advanced missile systems across Southeast Asia.
Several other countries including Indonesia, Malaysia are in the process of modernising their armed forces as maritime disputes, competition for resources and strategic rivalries intensify in the Indo-Pacific. These countries are interested to invest in anti-ship and precision strike capabilities.
The Philippines became the first foreign customer for the BrahMos in 2022. It had signed a contract for around $375 million for shore-based anti-ship missile batteries.
The deal for Vietnam provides a cutting-edge capability, and reflects its longstanding policy of diversifying defence partnerships and reducing overdependence on any single supplier.
And, for India, the new deal with another ASEAN country not only highlights its role in Indo-Pacific but also reinforces its Act East policy.
Nitin A Gokhale, Singapore
Author, thought leader and one of South Asia's leading strategic analysts, Nitin A. Gokhale has forty years of rich and varied experience behind him as a conflict reporter, Editor, author and now a media entrepreneur who owns and curates two important digital platforms, BharatShakti.in and StratNewsGlobal.com focusing on national security, strategic affairs and foreign policy matters.
At the beginning of his long and distinguished career, Gokhale has lived and reported from India’s North-east for 23 years, writing and analysing various insurgencies in the region, been on the ground at Kargil in the summer of 1999 during the India-Pakistan war, and also brought live reports from Sri Lanka’s Eelam War IV between 2006-2009.
Author of over a dozen books on wars, insurgencies and conflicts, Gokhale relocated to Delhi in 2006, was Security and Strategic Affairs Editor at NDTV, a leading Indian broadcaster for nine years, before launching in 2015 his own digital properties.
An alumni of the Asia-Pacific Centre for Security Studies in Hawaii, Gokhale now writes, lectures and analyses security and strategic matters in Indo-Pacific and travels regularly to US, Europe, South and South-East Asia to speak at various international seminars and conferences.
Gokhale also teaches at India’s Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), the three war colleges, India's National Defence College, College of Defence Management and the intelligence schools of both the R&AW and Intelligence Bureau.
He tweets at @nitingokhale
