BrahMos missile contingent during Republic Day parade in 2021
New Delhi: India and Indonesia have signed a contract for the procurement of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, worth an estimated $300 million, making Jakarta only the second foreign buyer of the system after the Philippines.
A source in the defence ministry told India Sentinels that the contract was signed in December 2025. Indonesia’s defence ministry spokesman Rico Ricardo Sirait has since confirmed the deal publicly, describing it as part of the country's broader military modernization programme, with a focus on maritime security.
Under the contract, India will deliver three batteries of the BrahMos missile system to Indonesia within 36 months of signing. The BrahMos is developed and produced by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya.
The deal is widely seen as a direct response to growing maritime tensions between Indonesia and China in the north Natuna Sea, where Beijing’s expansive Nine-Dash Line claim overlaps with Indonesia's exclusive economic zone around the Natuna Islands. Jakarta has consistently rejected those claims as having no basis in international law.
Chinese coast guard vessels have repeatedly challenged Indonesian energy exploration in the area. They have also interfered with seismic surveys conducted by Pertamina, Indonesia's state-owned energy company. China's broader use of grey-zone tactics – deploying civilian fishing fleets and paramilitary maritime vessels to assert territorial claims – has pushed Indonesia to reassess its maritime defence posture.
The BrahMos addresses a capability gap in Indonesia's existing arsenal. None of its current surface-launched missile systems match the BrahMos’s export-cleared range of 290 kilometres. Its supersonic speed, ramjet propulsion and low radar signature significantly reduce an adversary’s reaction time, making it a credible coastal defence weapon.
The deal also carries a geopolitical dimension. The BrahMos is not subject to the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), and its critical components are manufactured in India, which limits Jakarta’s exposure to US sanctions risk that has complicated defence procurement for some countries operating Russian-origin systems.
The missile’s footprint in Southeast Asia is expanding. The Philippines, which signed a BrahMos contract with India in 2022, already operates the system. Vietnam is reported to be evaluating a similar purchase. The growing presence of the BrahMos across the region could materially alter maritime deterrence dynamics in the South China Sea, where competing territorial claims among several nations and China remain unresolved.
For India, the agreement advances New Delhi's effort to establish itself as a serious defence exporter, a goal the government has set explicit targets for in recent years, while deepening its strategic relationships across the Indo-Pacific.
