New Delhi: India-based defence company BrahMos Aerospace expects to close a deal this year to sell Indonesia supersonic cruise missiles worth at least $200 million, as it looks to expand its presence in Southeast Asia, its chief executive said on Wednesday.
BrahMos, a joint venture between India and Russia, clinched its first foreign deal last year with a $375 million sale of shore-based anti-ship missiles to the Philippines – part of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious push to triple defence exports.
The company has been in protracted negotiations with Indonesia and details about the size and timeline of a potential deal have not been previously reported.
BrahMos Aerospace CEO Atul D. Rane said that it was in advanced discussions with Jakarta on a deal worth $200 million to $350 million under which it had offered to supply shore-based missiles and a version that can be mounted on warships.
“I have a team right now in Jakarta,” Rane told Reuters in an interview, adding that a deal could be in place within the year. “The defence forces of Indonesia are extremely interested.” A spokesperson for Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday declined to give immediate comment and said he needed to first check the information.
BrahMos is also aiming to land a follow-on order of around $300 million with the Philippines, where its missiles are scheduled to be delivered to the Philippine Marine Corps starting at the end of 2023, Rane said. (GulfNews)
