Government plans to export BrahMos missiles, Tejas, air defence system

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

NEW DELHI: The Modi government is quietly working on a plan to export defence equipment and armaments produced in India to friendly countries. A beginning could be made by exporting BrahMos missiles to Southeast Asia and South American countries. Vietnam, Indonesia and Venezuela have expressed willingness to procure the supersonic missile jointly produced by India and Russia, sources indicated to ET.

Indo-Vietnam defence ties are on an upward trajectory and Hanoi has been keen for the last few years to purchase this missile. However, there was no progress under the UPA government on the issue, sources indicated. BrahMos missiles have been inducted in all three defence services. The inter-governmental agreement between India and Russia for development of BrahMos missile (290-kmrange) also stipulates use of this advanced system to be inducted into the Indian and Russian armed forces as well as export to friendly countries.

Vietnam and Russia are partners since the days of the Cold War and it can use Russian made defence equipment. India will sign an agreement for supplying defence equipment to Vietnam, during President Pranab Mukherjee's trip from September 14-17. India and Indonesia also share good defence ties that encompasses training and defence exercises.

Recently, Prime Minister narendra Modi had stated that India should move towards self-reliance in producing military weapons and systems and also look for exporting them to friendly nations.

The idea for defence co-development and joint production is not only to obtain cutting-edge technology and self-sufficiency in the long run but also export jointly developed products. So far, India depends on imports for meeting over 65% of its weapons requirement and has been branded as largest importer of arms by international think tanks. India could also export indigenously developed 'Tejas' - Light Combat Aircraft, 'Akash' - air defence system and 'Prahar' class of missiles to friendly countries. Tejas is a lightweight, multi-role, single-engine tactical fighter aircraft.

Akash, a surface-to-air missile, has a range of 25 km. Prahar is a 150 km-range tactical missile system. Several countries have shown interest in the Akash missile system, which was ready to be inducted into the Army. LCA is likely to be ready for induction into IAF by the end of this year after attaining the final operational clearance. Sources also claim that Indian weapon systems are cheaper than Chinese systems.

Formal defence exports policy, it had earlier exported rifles to Nepal and Oman, besides supplying defence equipment to Myanmar including tanks, radars to Sri Lanka, defence equipment to Maldives, maritime patrol boats to Mauritius and defence spare parts to Vietnam.

India's current norm for defence exports involve supplies not only to friendly countries but also to countries which do not have civil war. "We do not want a situation where arms supplied by us is used by one group against another within the boundary of one country.

Government plans to export BrahMos missiles, Tejas, air defence system to Vietnam, Indonesia and Venezuela - Economic Times

 

[sorcerer]

Russia may buy BrahMos cruise missiles for Su-30SM fighters

The Russian military are interested in buying the BrahMos cruise missiles, which were developed jointly with India, for equipping its Sukhoi Su-30SM fighters, a military-diplomatic source told TASS on Wednesday.

"The new missile strike system - a plane plus a missile - will be first of all made operational with the Indian Air Force. After that the Russian Air Force, which is very interested, may buy the system," the source said at the Army 2016 forum.

He added that the negotiations with the Russian side might begin in 2017 after flights tests of the Indian Su-30MKI fighters with the BrahMos missile are completed.



TASS has no official confirmation of the report.

The Indian Air Force fighter with a demonstrator of the BrahMos missile’s air-launched version performed the first flight in summer 2016. The first aircraft launches of the missile are expected to take place before the year end. India plans to equip three regiments of the Su-30MKI fighters with the updated missiles. The Indian military currently have in service the missile’s ground and sea-launched versions.

The Su-30SM multifunctional fighter is an upgrade the export Su-30MKI version. It was improved in line with the Russian Defense Ministry’s requirements regarding the armaments, radar, communications, IFF transceiver systems and other equipment. The first contracts on the supply of the Su-30SM fighters to the Russian army were concluded in 2012. The Sukhoi Su-30 (NATO reporting name: Flanker-C) is a twin-engine, two-seat supermaneuverable fighter aircraft developed by Russia’s Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. It is a multirole fighter for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions.



The Su-30 started out as an internal development project in the Sukhoi Su-27 family by Sukhoi. The design plan was revamped and the name was made official by the Russian Defense Ministry in 1996. Of the Flanker family, only the Su-27, Su-30, Su-34 and Su-35 have been ordered into serial production by the Defense Ministry. All the others, such as Su-37, were prototypes. The Su-30 has two distinct version branches, manufactured by competing organizations: KnAAPO and the Irkut Corporation, both of which come under the Sukhoi group’s umbrella.

First published by TASS.