India is on the verge of securing another major defence export success, as negotiations for the sale of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to Vietnam have entered the final stage, according to BrahMos Aerospace chief Jaiteerth Joshi.
Speaking in Nagpur after flagging off the 100th indigenous booster manufactured by Solar Industries India Ltd for the BrahMos missile programme, Joshi confirmed that only a few clearances remain before the deal is finalized. He also revealed that discussions are underway with several other countries for potential exports, as reported by ANI.
"Export negotiations are in almost final stages with Vietnam, with only minor clearances remaining before finalisation. We are in talks with several other countries in both eastern and western regions. Once the government approval comes, we will come out on the open forum," Joshi told ANI.
Strategic Partnership with Vietnam
His remarks come a month after former Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs, P Kumaran, stated on May 6 that Vietnam remains an important strategic partner for India in the Indo-Pacific region. Discussions on multiple defence platforms, including BrahMos, are continuing under the India-Vietnam Joint Vision Statement for Defence Partnership 2030.
Cost Reductions and Indigenous Content
Joshi highlighted that the missile programme has achieved significant cost reductions through value-engineering initiatives over the past 18 months. Raw material costs have been reduced by approximately 24 per cent, while manufacturing and component costs have been reduced by around 10 per cent. Overall, the Indian component cost is expected to decline by nearly 20 per cent over the next one to two years.
He also outlined future development plans, including work on the BrahMos-NG and extended-range variants. "Future developments include work on BrahMos-NG and extended-range variants, with research also focused on lighter designs using composite materials. Final specifications will be determined after design validation and simulation studies are completed," Joshi told ANI.
Live Test During Operation Sindoor
Referring to the missile's operational performance, Joshi said BrahMos had recently undergone what he described as a "live" combat test during Operation Sindoor. "BrahMos has evolved into one of its kind, a supersonic system that has been manufactured and tested successfully with the support of DRDO. A live test was conducted during Operation Sindoor. This is the first of its kind, where we could test the missile on our adversary," he said.
Joshi also disclosed that discussions are taking place with Russia regarding increased production requirements for the missile programme. "Russia has its own established industry partners. However, they want to increase the requirement as per the present scenario. We are in talks with them," he added.
100th Indigenous Booster Milestone
The event in Nagpur marked a significant milestone in the indigenisation of the BrahMos programme with the rollout of the 100th indigenous booster. According to Joshi, a critical component that was earlier imported from Russia is now being manufactured in India. "Earlier we were importing boosters from Russia, and now it is indigenous. This is the 100th booster that has been delivered. Solar Industries India Ltd is playing a pivotal role in this. They have also completed warhead trials and once the process is successfully completed, imported warheads will be replaced with indigenous ones," he said.
About BrahMos
BrahMos is a joint venture between India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM). The missile derives its name from the Brahmaputra River in India and the Moskva River in Russia. The two-stage supersonic cruise missile can be launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air platforms. It uses a solid-fuel booster in the first stage to attain supersonic speed, followed by a liquid-fuel ramjet engine that powers it to speeds of up to Mach 2.8 during the cruise phase.
Designed on the "fire-and-forget" principle, BrahMos can engage both land and maritime targets. It carries a conventional warhead and is known for its speed, precision and low-altitude terminal flight profile, making interception difficult. The missile is currently deployed across multiple branches of the Indian armed forces and remains one of India's most important defence export prospects as New Delhi seeks to expand its footprint in the global arms market.
