BrahMos for Every Major Indian Warship: What it Means for Naval Operations
21:11 14.08.2026 (Updated: 21:17 14.08.2026)
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Around 20 frontline warships of the Indian Navy are equipped with BrahMos missiles, the world's fastest supersonic missile renowned for its speed and accuracy.
The complete nature of warfare in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) would change once the Indian Navy's planned fleet-wide induction of the BrahMos missiles concludes, an expert has said.
"One of the best examples to illustrate this point could be found in last year's Operation Sindoor," Commodore (Retd) Seshadri Vasan, an Indian Navy veteran, told Sputnik India.
India had already achieved sea denial capability, demonstrating to the world that the BrahMos was a weapon system that was simply too good for the country's adversaries, he added.
With the BrahMos missiles, the Indian Navy is in a position to strike targets from a distance of 250 to 300 nautical kilometres. Moreover, in the case of the new generation of BrahMos, which has half the weight of the original missile but has increased speed, the target range jumps to 500 kilometres. This is the advantage that BrahMos has conferred on the Indian Navy, which totally changes the nature of warfare in the North Arabian Sea, the military commentator explained.
With the BrahMos missiles, the Indian Navy is in a position to strike targets from a distance of 250 to 300 nautical kilometres. Moreover, in the case of the new generation of BrahMos, which has half the weight of the original missile but has increased speed, the target range jumps to 500 kilometres. This is the advantage that BrahMos has conferred on the Indian Navy, which totally changes the nature of warfare in the North Arabian Sea, the military commentator explained.
"The fact that India's blue water force is equipping all its modern ships with the vertical launch systems to fire the BrahMos gives it an inventory that will allow it to have flexible options while manoeuvring in the Arabian Sea, exercising sea control and protecting the nation's maritime interests," Vasan emphasised.
Older Indian naval vessels can also be armed with BrahMos, with the Navy previously doing the same with the Rajput-class destroyers. Despite that, one must not forget that older ships had slanted missile launchers, so these launchers will have to make way for the vertical launch system, he highlighted.
Hence, one must ask if it is worth spending $30 to 40 million on the upgrade. If the ship has a life beyond 15 years, then it is a worthwhile option to retrofit all the ships in the inventory to have BrahMos because it will transform the collective might of the Indian Navy in terms of missile launching platforms, which would actually be phenomenal if such a development takes place, the defence analyst reckoned.
Hence, one must ask if it is worth spending $30 to 40 million on the upgrade. If the ship has a life beyond 15 years, then it is a worthwhile option to retrofit all the ships in the inventory to have BrahMos because it will transform the collective might of the Indian Navy in terms of missile launching platforms, which would actually be phenomenal if such a development takes place, the defence analyst reckoned.
"The BrahMos can be fired from underwater platforms, to be precise, from submarines. Plus, the Indian Navy's latest warships have 16 vertical launch tubes, doubling its previous capability as older vessels had only 8 launch pads," Vasan underlined.
The kind of success that the BrahMos has showcased in combat has certainly raised its profile almost everywhere, with nations like Vietnam and Indonesia already confirming export orders. The Philippines recently lauded the missile's performance and described it as a credible deterrent. The biggest impact that the BrahMos has made is that it has enhanced the credibility of India's defence industry, and its order book is now huge, he asserted.
So there's not an iota of doubt that BrahMos' demand will go up globally, and it is where the new manufacturing hub in Lucknow will come in handy, as it will allow India to produce the missile in large numbers and export it to friendly nations that have signed agreements to acquire it, the observer concluded.
