The China factor? Why Asian countries are rushing to buy India’s BrahMos missile

India has signed an arms deal with Vietnam for the BrahMos missile. Additionally, the country is in the final stages of an agreement with Indonesia. Earlier, the Philippines also purchased the weapon. Many note that the cruise missile provides a credible and lethal deterrent to China and its maritime expansionist ambitions

A man waves India's national flag in front of a replica of the Indian Army's BrahMos missile system in Ahmedabad. India has signed a deal to export its BrahMos supersonic cruise missile to Vietnam, while a similar agreement with Indonesia is in the final stages, File image/AFP

Once upon a time, India was known as a weapons importer. In 2026, the country has flipped the script. Defence exports have touched an all-time high of Rs 38,424 crore in the 2025-26, marking a massive rise of Rs 14,802 crore (62.66 per cent) over the previous fiscal year.

Among the weapons that have helped push up India’s defence exports is the BrahMos missile system. In fact, India has signed a deal to export this supersonic cruise missile to Vietnam, while a similar agreement with Indonesia is in the final stages. Notably, India has already sold the supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines.

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Other countries across Southeast Asia and the globe have also shown interest in the BrahMos missile. So, what makes this rocket so appealing?

About the BrahMos missile

The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is the cornerstone of India’s missile arsenal. It is manufactured by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya.

The BrahMos is a two-stage missile with a solid propellant booster engine. In its first stage, the missile reaches supersonic speed (faster than sound) and then separates. The liquid ramjet, or the second stage, then takes the missile closer to three times the speed of sound during the cruise phase.

Brahmos missiles can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft and land. File image/AFP

The BrahMos, which can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, and land, has a range of nearly 300 kilometres and can carry a warhead weighing between 200 and 300 kilogrammes.

What sets the missile apart from the others is that it has a very low radar signature, making it stealthy, and can achieve a variety of trajectories. The ‘fire and forget’ type missile can achieve a cruising altitude of 15 km and a terminal altitude as low as 10 m to hit the target. It is also known for its high accuracy – with a circular error probability of under one metre.

Since being first tested in 2001, many variants of the BrahMos have been developed. The next-gen BrahMos is believed to weigh just 1,290 kg compared to the 2,900 kg previously and also have a range of 400 km.

The effectiveness of the BrahMos was seen during last year’s Operation Sindoor. The missile was used to decapitate the Nur Khan & Rahimyar Khan bases in Pakistan.

Tracking the export of BrahMos missile

The performance of the BrahMos during Operation Sindoor caught the world’s attention. Even before Sindoor, countries had expressed interest in the weapon.

The missile’s first foreign customer was the Philippines. The deal was struck for nearly $375 million, in which India would send three coastal defence batteries. The first battery was delivered in April 2024, while another was delivered last year.

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As recently as this week, India has closed the deal with Vietnam. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said the Vietnam deal has already been signed, although it has not yet been publicly announced. The deal with Vietnam is reportedly worth around Rs 5,800 crore. It includes coastal defence missile batteries, an initial batch of missiles, training, and logistics support. Reports also suggest that Vietnam may later purchase the air-launched version of BrahMos.

A similar deal with Indonesia is in the final stage. Earlier on March 9, the spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Defence (MoD), Rico Ricardo Sirait, told Reuters that the country has agreed to acquire the BrahMos missile system from India. While Sirait stopped short of specifying the number of missiles that Jakarta has decided to procure, previous unconfirmed reports have pegged the cost of the potential deal at $450 million.

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India has also been in talks with several other Southeast Asian countries about exporting the missile. Malaysia has expressed interest in the missile system, particularly the air-launched variant, which could be integrated with the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s Su-30MKM fighter jets. There were also reports that Malaysia had begun preliminary negotiations with Russia and India for the missile.

Additionally, Thailand was also previously known to have shown keen interest in the BrahMos, as reported by the EurAsian Times. However, it appears to have fizzled out in the past two years with no indication of ongoing discussions anywhere.

Countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and Egypt in West Asia have also shown interest in acquiring the BrahMos. Additionally, it has made an impression on the Latin American region, with countries such as Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Venezuela showing interest in it.

Visitors look at a display of India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) BrahMos missile at the DefExpo. The performance of the BrahMos during Operation Sindoor caught the world’s attention. File image/AFP

The China factor

Apart from its technical capabilities, there’s another reason why countries in Southeast Asia are lining up for it. And that’s China.

As Dr Brahma Chellaney, an Indian geostrategist and columnist, explains, countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia lack the massive naval budgets required to handle China’s growing naval power and maritime expansionism.

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“By deploying shore-based BrahMos anti-ship missile batteries along their coastlines, these countries can establish effective anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) zones, he wrote in a post on X, adding, “In strategic terms, the BrahMos has emerged as the poor nation’s great naval equaliser — a relatively inexpensive weapon capable of imposing disproportionate costs on a much stronger adversary.”

Why BrahMos Is Becoming Asia’s Hottest Missile Export

The recent surge in export orders and intense interest in India’s BrahMos is driven by both its exceptional technical capabilities and its utility as an asymmetric warfare weapon.

Countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam… — Dr. Brahma Chellaney (@Chellaney) June 2, 2026

Major Gaurav Arya (Retd), an Indian Army veteran and writer, also pointed out that the countries purchasing the missile from India are those having territorial disputes with China.

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An ORF report stated that India’s export of the BrahMos is of concern to China. In fact, Chinese experts have described it as a potential “troublemaker for international security” due to its capabilities and reach.

The report added that the BrahMos deals could act as an anchor contract for India’s future arms sales in the region. This strategy will effectively counterbalance China and its arms supplier behaviour in South Asia.

In conclusion, it appears that India is shaping the future of global defence cooperation.

With inputs from agencies

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Frequently Asked Questions Will more countries buy BrahMos missiles in the future? Yes, more countries are expected to buy BrahMos missiles in the future, driven by their technical capabilities and utility as an asymmetric warfare weapon, particularly in the context of China's regional influence. How does BrahMos impact regional power dynamics? India's BrahMos missile exports to countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia are seen as a strategic move to counter China's growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region. What are the next steps for India's defence exports? India is finalizing agreements for BrahMos missile exports with Vietnam and Indonesia. The Philippines has already purchased the weapon. These exports are seen as a deterrent to China's maritime expansion.