BrahMos deal with Vietnam already signed, Indonesia pact in final stages: Defence Secretary

Singapore: Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said on Saturday that a BrahMos missile deal with Vietnam had already been signed, while a similar pact involving Indonesia was in the final stages.

Singh is in Singapore to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, and his comments were in response to a question on potential buyers of the missile system.

"My understanding is that with both Indonesia and with Vietnam, the deal is in the final stages that in fact, for Vietnam, I understand that it has already been signed, probably not publicly announced, but it's already been signed," Singh said.

The Philippines, which signed a contract worth nearly USD 375 million in 2022, was the first foreign buyer of the BrahMos missile system from India.

Indonesia said in March that it had entered into an agreement with India to procure the BrahMos missile system.

And, earlier this month, there were news reports that suggested Vietnam was close to signing a BrahMos missile deal with India. But Singh's comments on Saturday came as the first official word on this in the public domain.

However, the values of the Vietnam and Indonesia deals have not been officially disclosed yet.

Referring to the broader issue of sharing advanced defence technologies, Singh said countries generally sold sophisticated weapons systems and platforms to nations they regarded as friendly partners. "Obviously you share technology with people you trust," he said.

He further said that India has a strong commitment to the ASEAN nations, "and we treat all of you as "friendly foreign countries" with whom we can share advanced defence technologies".

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises 11 member states - Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.

Several ASEAN member states, including the Philippines and Vietnam, have overlapping maritime claims with China in the South China Sea – one of the world's busiest trade routes. India's BrahMos exports to countries in the region have drawn attention as New Delhi expands defence ties with Southeast Asian nations.

Singh told delegates at the Shangri-La Dialogue that India was ready to work with partners across the region and beyond to build resilient supply chains, trusted defence partnerships, secure maritime commons and innovation cooperation. "Today, resilience has become one of the defining strategic requirements of our time."

Drawing attention to geopolitical uncertainty, conflicts in Europe and West Asia, disruptions in maritime trade routes, supply chain vulnerabilities, technological disruptions and growing strategic competition, Singh said these factors were reshaping the global security landscape.

"The lessons from recent years are clear. Defence preparedness cannot depend upon fragile or overly concentrated supply chains. Nations today require resilient, trusted, diversified, and technologically adaptive defence industrial ecosystems," he said at a session on "Building Defence Industrial Resilience".

For India, resilience is not merely about self-reliance but also about building trusted partnerships, diversified manufacturing networks, innovation ecosystems and secure supply chains that contribute to regional and global stability, he said.

The defence secretary also said India had undertaken major reforms in defence production, innovation and exports over the past decade. The country had opened the sector to greater private-sector participation, encouraged startups and small industries, strengthened indigenous design and manufacturing and expanded collaboration with global partners, he said.

India was not only modernising its armed forces but was also emerging as a dependable defence manufacturing and maintenance hub, Singh said.

He said government-owned companies accounted for nearly 72 per cent of India's defence production, while the private sector contributed the rest. Three Indian government-owned defence firms were among the world's top 100 arms-producing companies.

The Indian defence industry had developed capabilities in areas such as missile systems, fighter aircraft and main battle tanks, while efforts were underway to bridge gaps in propulsion technologies across land, air and sea domains, he said. "Our objective is not to create exclusive blocs, but inclusive and reliable partnerships that strengthen collective security and reduce strategic vulnerabilities."