New Delhi, April 11 (IANS) As India seeks to position Southeast Asia as a key market for the BrahMos missile, the supersonic cruise weapon – jointly developed by India and Russia – has generated significant interest in the region amid growing Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea.

Its speed, precision strike capability, and multi-platform deployment – from land and sea to air and submarine – make it a formidable weapon for enhancing regional defence capabilities.

According to a report in India Narrative, with speeds between Mach 2.8 and Mach 3 — exceeding many conventional cruise missiles used by naval forces globally — the missile offers a strike range of over 400 kilometres and can be launched from a range of platforms.

“The missile is gaining traction amid the growing urgency among South China Sea littoral states to strengthen their deterrence capabilities. Its deployment is aimed at countering any aggressive naval posture by China in asserting its territorial claims over the South China Sea, which overlap with those of other littoral states. One way to bolster such capacity is by enhancing Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) capabilities,” the report detailed.

“An emerging pattern can be observed among countries like Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia in this regard. While China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has developed formidable A2/AD capabilities, anti-ship missiles such as BrahMos enable smaller countries to adopt similar strategies,” it added.

According to the report, the ongoing conflict in West Asia has prompted US allies and partners in East Asia to view Washington’s security guarantees with growing scepticism, against the backdrop of the visible shift of American missile and naval assets from the Pacific to West Asia.

This has sparked fears that such redeployments could undermine defence readiness in the Indo-Pacific against Chinese assertiveness.

The report stressed that concerns are mounting over the gradual demotion of Southeast Asia in the current US administration’s priority list, as reflected in the US National Security Strategy 2025, which barely mentioned the region.

“In this context, Southeast Asian countries are engaging with a broader array of external partners to enhance their military capabilities. Indonesia’s recent decision to procure the BrahMos missile from India is significant. India, along with Japan and South Korea, is offering capacity-building, training, and technological cooperation to Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia to strengthen their ability to respond to China’s growing assertiveness. India had earlier delivered BrahMos missiles to the Philippines in 2024 and is edging closer to a $700 million deal with Vietnam,” it mentioned.

Highlighting India’s deepening role in Indo-Pacific security, the report said, “The BrahMos deal with Indonesia — following a similar agreement with the Philippines — underscores India’s expanding strategic role in the broader Indo-Pacific geostrategic landscape.”

–IANS

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