New Delhi, Aug 2026 : The battlefield performance of India’s BrahMos supersonic cruise missile during Operation Sindoor has significantly strengthened its international profile, with the weapon’s reported accuracy, speed and ability to penetrate air-defence networks drawing growing interest from countries seeking advanced precision-strike capabilities.
According to a report published by The Week, the BrahMos missile played an important role during India’s military response to Pakistan in May 2025. Sources cited in the report claimed that the missile demonstrated its ability to evade Chinese-origin air-defence systems deployed by Pakistan, contributing to pressure that eventually led Islamabad to seek a ceasefire.
The reported combat performance has since generated interest among several potential international customers. India had already entered the export market before Operation Sindoor, signing a $375-million agreement with the Philippines in January 2022 for the supply of three BrahMos missile batteries.
Following the operation, negotiations with other prospective buyers reportedly accelerated. Vietnam has concluded a deal estimated at around $629 million, while Indonesia has also finalised an agreement believed to be worth between $200 million and $300 million.
The growing export interest marks a major transformation for BrahMos, which originated as a closely guarded Indo-Russian defence project and has evolved into one of India’s most prominent military export programmes.
The origins of the missile date back to 1997. At the time, former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was heading the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme. India’s five major missile programmes — Prithvi, Agni, Akash, Trishul and Nag — did not include a terrain-hugging supersonic cruise missile.
Recognising this capability gap, India began exploring foreign technology that could form the basis for such a weapon.
In 1997, a 27-member Indian delegation comprising DRDO scientists, officials from government defence companies and representatives of the private sector travelled to Reutov near Moscow. The team examined the propulsion technology of a Russian cruise missile and spent nearly three months studying and evaluating its capabilities.
The engine was associated with Russia’s Onyx supersonic cruise missile, which was being further developed at the time. The technology assessment ultimately convinced Indian authorities of the potential for a joint development programme.
India and Russia subsequently signed an inter-governmental agreement in 1998 to establish what became BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between the DRDO and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya.
The programme received high-level political clearance and was initially handled with considerable secrecy. Within India’s defence establishment, it was commonly referred to as the “JV”, reflecting its joint-venture structure, while the DRDO designated the missile development programme as PJ-10.
Over the years, BrahMos evolved substantially from its original configuration. Variants have been developed for land, naval and air-launch applications, allowing the missile to be integrated across multiple branches of India’s armed forces.
Its reported operational use during Operation Sindoor represented an important milestone in the system’s combat history.
According to The Week, sources claimed that at least 15 BrahMos missiles were launched by Indian fighter aircraft against Pakistani military installations during the operation. The report said the aircraft were able to launch the strikes without crossing the international border.
The reported combination of precision, speed and survivability highlighted the missile’s potential as a stand-off weapon capable of striking high-value targets while reducing exposure for the launching aircraft.
“The accuracy and lethality of the missile strikes were crucial in prompting Pakistan to swiftly call for a ceasefire,” the report quoted sources as saying, adding that BrahMos had also demonstrated an ability to evade Chinese-origin air-defence systems operated by Pakistan.
The reported battlefield experience has added momentum to India’s broader effort to expand defence exports and establish itself as a reliable supplier of advanced military technology.
Domestic production capacity for BrahMos has also expanded significantly. Manufacturing facilities are operational in Hyderabad, Nagpur and Pilani, while a new production facility in Lucknow has also begun manufacturing the missile.
According to the report, each of the four facilities currently has the capacity to manufacture at least four missiles every month. Efforts are reportedly underway to increase production further as domestic requirements and international demand grow.
India itself plans to expand the deployment of BrahMos across its armed forces. The government envisages equipping major Indian naval warships and fighter aircraft with the missile, strengthening the country’s long-range precision-strike capability.
The Indian Navy has already integrated BrahMos across several platforms, while air-launched versions have expanded the missile’s role in the Indian Air Force.
Internationally, interest is reportedly spreading across several regions. At least a dozen countries in Europe, West Asia, Latin America and Africa have expressed interest in acquiring the system, according to the report.
The growing demand is also encouraging BrahMos Aerospace to explore new variants. Development efforts include underwater-launch capabilities and a smaller, lighter version intended to expand the range of platforms from which the missile can be deployed.
A miniaturised BrahMos could potentially provide greater flexibility for aircraft and other platforms where space and payload capacity are limited.
Another long-term objective is to develop an increasingly indigenous version of the missile and integrate it with India’s home-grown fighter aircraft. The Tejas and the future LCA Mk 2 are among the platforms that could eventually benefit from such integration.
The evolution of BrahMos therefore represents more than the development of a single missile system. It reflects India’s gradual transition from a defence technology importer to a country increasingly capable of developing, manufacturing and exporting sophisticated weapons.
The missile’s reported performance during Operation Sindoor has further strengthened that trajectory. If export agreements with additional countries materialise, BrahMos could become an important pillar of India’s defence-export strategy while simultaneously supporting the country’s objective of achieving greater self-reliance in military technology.
With expanding production, new variants and growing international interest, BrahMos is increasingly emerging as a flagship example of India’s ambitions to build a globally competitive defence-industrial ecosystem.
(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
