Indonesia\u2019s planned purchase of Indian missiles highlights a growing\ndefence partnership between Jakarta and New Delhi, as both countries\nlook to strengthen their strategic ties in the Indo-Pacific.<\/p>\n
India-Indonesia missile deal signals deeper defence ties<\/p>\n
India will supply Indonesia with the BrahMos cruise missile system\nand the Astra air-to-air missile. BrahMos is among the world\u2019s fastest\ncruise missiles, and that reputation is part of why it has drawn\nattention across Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n
Astra adds another layer. As a beyond-visual-range air-to-air\nmissile, it could improve Indonesia\u2019s air combat options if integrated\nwith its fighter fleet.<\/p>\n
The purchase also points to deeper India-Indonesia defence ties.\nIndia wants a larger role in Southeast Asian security, while Indonesia\nwants more options. Jakarta does not want to depend too heavily on any\nsingle major power.<\/p>\n
India has also signed agreements to sell BrahMos missiles to Vietnam\nand the Philippines. Indonesia\u2019s purchase therefore fits a broader\npattern: countries facing pressure in or near the South China Sea are\nlooking for stronger maritime deterrence, and India is becoming one of\nthe suppliers they are willing to trust.<\/p>\n
For Indonesia, India is a useful partner: large, democratic,\nmaritime-minded and increasingly active in the Indo-Pacific.<\/p>\n
China\u2019s Pacific missile test adds to the timing<\/p>\n
The India-Indonesia missile deal was reported on July 7, just one day\nafter China conducted a missile test from a nuclear-powered submarine\ninto the Pacific.<\/p>\n
China said the July 6 launch used a dummy warhead. Still, the test\nalarmed several regional governments, including Japan, Australia, New\nZealand and Taiwan. For them, the message was not only about one\nmissile. It was about China\u2019s growing ability to project military power\nfarther into the Pacific.<\/p>\n
A tenser Indo-Pacific from Natuna to Taiwan<\/p>\n
The Indonesia-India deal sits inside a wider regional picture.<\/p>\n
In the West Philippine Sea, China continues to pressure the\nPhilippines through coast guard patrols, maritime claims and activities\naround disputed features. Around Taiwan, Beijing has increased military\nand coast guard pressure. Around Japan, tensions continue near the\nSenkaku Islands, which China calls Diaoyu.<\/p>\n
Although Jakarta is not a South China Sea claimant like the\nPhilippines or Vietnam, Chinese vessels have still entered or contested\nwaters within Indonesia\u2019s exclusive economic zone, near the Natuna\nIslands.<\/p>\n
Indonesia prepares militarily without joining a bloc<\/p>\n
Indonesia still values non-alignment, but it is also preparing\nmilitarily.<\/p>\n
Indonesia\u2019s participation in RIMPAC 2026 fits this picture. The\nU.S.-hosted exercise runs around the Hawaiian Islands from June 24 to\nJuly 31 and brings together dozens of countries, ships, submarines,\naircraft and more than 25,000 personnel. Its training areas include\nmissile proficiency, anti-submarine warfare, air defence,\ncounter-piracy, mine clearance and humanitarian response.<\/p>\n
Modern maritime security is not only about buying weapons. It is also\nabout learning how to operate with partners in contested waters.<\/p>\n
Recent exercises with Singapore tell the same story closer to home.\nIn July, Singapore\u2019s commandos and Indonesia\u2019s Kopassus concluded\nExercise Chandrapura, with urban operations, close-quarter battle\ntraining, fast-roping, rappelling and airborne drills.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, the Singapore and Indonesian navies also held\nJoint Minex Pandu in Singapore and waters off Bintan, focused on\nmine-countermeasure and clearance-diving operations.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-india-indonesia-missile-deal-and-the-rising-indo-pacific-tensions-1783428614", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }