Indonesia has confirmed an agreement with India to procure the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system, with Jakarta’s Defence Ministry spokesperson Rico Ricardo Sirait making the announcement on 9 March 2026. The deal was first revealed publicly by Romeo S. Brawner Jr, Chief of Staff of the Filipino Armed Forces, who told the Indian press that the Philippines was the first international buyer of BrahMos and that Indonesia had since followed suit.
Sirait confirmed the purchase to multiple media outlets, saying the system would “boost deterrence capabilities in safeguarding national sovereignty.” Sources say the deal signed in December 2025 is worth around $300 million, covering three coastal batteries with a delivery timeline of 36 months, mirroring the configuration supplied to the Philippines.
A notable feature of the agreement is a Transfer of Technology clause, which will allow Indonesia to manufacture certain components of the BrahMos system locally. With this, Indonesia becomes the second country in the world, after the Philippines, to acquire India’s most prized defence export.
A Supersonic Shield for an Archipelago Nation
Sirait told the Jakarta Globe: “Indonesia has partnered with India in the procurement of the BrahMos missile system. This is part of our efforts to modernise our weaponry, especially in beefing up our coastal defence.”
Speaking separately to Reuters, he described the agreement as being “part of the modernisation of military hardware and defence capabilities, especially in the maritime sector,” though he declined to confirm the total value of the deal. Indonesia is an archipelagic nation comprising thousands of islands, making maritime and coastal security a central pillar of its national defence planning.
The BrahMos is currently the world’s only operational supersonic cruise missile, capable of reaching speeds of Mach 3 three times the speed of sound with an export variant range capped at 290 kilometres in compliance with international guidelines.
The Indonesian side has shown particular interest in the naval version, expected to be delivered first, while also evaluating the air-launched variant for integration with their Su-30 fighter jets. Sources in the Indian defence establishment told ThePrint that Indonesia plans to procure one battery in the initial phase, with a view to scaling up in subsequent phases once financing is fully formalised.
From Dialogue Tables to a Signed Deal
Negotiations between New Delhi and Jakarta were formally concluded following the third India–Indonesia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue, co-chaired by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Indonesian counterpart Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin. Sjamsoeddin visited the BrahMos production facilities in Delhi during that November 2025 dialogue, signalling Jakarta’s seriousness about the acquisition.
A key procedural hurdle a formal No-Objection Certificate from Russia, which holds a 49.5 per cent stake in the BrahMos joint venture was cleared after Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov gave verbal assurance to Rajnath Singh during a meeting in December 2025.
Earlier, during President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to India in January 2025 as Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade, the BrahMos deal was discussed at the highest level between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Prabowo.
Since assuming power in October 2024, the Prabowo government has moved decisively on defence spending purchasing 48 Turkish-made KAAN jets and allocating Rp 337 trillion (approximately $19.9 billion) for defence in the 2026 fiscal year. Prabowo, a retired army general, has been unambiguous about his philosophy, previously declaring that a “nation that does not want to invest in its defence system will have its independence stolen away.”
Analysts also note that Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam have expressed interest in BrahMos and this deal is expected to accelerate those conversations, positioning India as the region’s go-to partner for supersonic missile systems. For India, the deal is a significant milestone under the “Make in India” initiative, with New Delhi having set a target of achieving $4.8 billion in annual defence exports by 2028–29, and the BrahMos system has become the flagship of that ambition.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The Indonesia–India BrahMos agreement is more than a bilateral arms deal it is a marker of how the Indo-Pacific’s strategic landscape is quietly but unmistakably shifting. For a country like Indonesia, an archipelago of over 17,000 islands navigating some of the world’s busiest and most contested maritime corridors, the ability to credibly defend its coastlines is not aggression it is basic sovereignty.
What is encouraging about this particular partnership is its character: built on years of diplomatic patience, high-level dialogue, shared democratic values and mutual strategic respect, rather than coercion or dependence. India’s emergence as a serious defence exporter especially to fellow developing nations in the Global South also challenges the tired narrative that nations must choose between Washington and Beijing for their security needs. Yet, with power comes responsibility.
As India deepens defence ties across the region, the hope must be that every missile sold is accompanied by an equal investment in trust-building, conflict prevention and cooperative frameworks for peace. Military deterrence, at its best, is the foundation upon which diplomacy is built not a substitute for it.
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Almost all procedures completed in negotiations with Indonesia 🇮🇩 for BrahMos export. Nod from Russian side required before signing contract:https://t.co/wfLeHz7Mxw https://t.co/9SSDJY3j14 pic.twitter.com/ZVQ0OAfHYT
— Adithya Krishna Menon (@AdithyaKM_) November 5, 2025
