Vietnam Jumps on BrahMos Bandwagon: Why is the Missile in Demand Across Asia?

No air defence system is able to shoot down the BrahMos missile, a military veteran says.

That is what makes the supersonic missile, a joint venture between Russia and India, so attractive to foreign buyers, he said.

"Tey've shared the technologies and further developed the missile capability," retired Indian Air Force (IAF) air marshal M. Matheswaran said. "India holds 50.5% stake in the joint venture and Russian ownership stands at 49.5%."

BrahMos flies at three times the speed of sound, making it one of the fastest in the supersonic class and hard to defends against, he added.

By manoeuvring and flying low, it can penetrate the air defences deployed by most nations.

"Indian improvements, value addition, particularly in the navigation systems and targeting systems, amongst others has actually enhanced the accuracy, the Circular Error Probable (CEP) of the missile," Matheswaran noted.

The original 300-kilometre range of Brahmos has now been doubled to 600km, a figure its makers are still improving.

The missile was proven in combat against Pakistan last year during Operation Sindoor, with air-and ground-based versions used by the IAF and Indian army to "devastating effect," Matheswaran said.

Indian-made missiles are far cheaper than those from Western countries, while India is a more reliable export partner, he argued.

"It also reflects the strong partnership between India and Russia," Matheswaran said. "Both countries have to cooperate to ensure exports happen well."

He pointed out that most Brahmos manufacturing and export sales are now handled by India. The Philippines became the first foreign buyer under a deal struck in 2024.

The Filipino defence minister called the Bhramos a game changer for coastal and maritime defense -- which may have prompted Indonesia to become the second export customer, Matheswaran said.

Vietnam may be the biggest customer yet. All three countries are involved in territorial disputes in the South China Sea, he noted .

"The demand for BrahMos will continue to grow and the challenge will be for India to actually increase its production rate and meet the delivery timelines," Matheswaran said.

He believes Malaysia will be the next South-East Asian buyer for Brahmos, while the United Arab Emirates could be the first Middle Eastern customer and African countries may also be interested.

Matheswaran argued that many countries seek to escape the Western stranglehold on arms supplies, and Brahmos is a great opportunity.

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