Indonesia and India Agree on BrahMos Missile Deal: A Look at the Supersonic Weapon's Specifications

The meeting between President Prabowo Subianto and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi resulted in an agreement on cooperation regarding the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. The BrahMos is a missile with high speed and accuracy. According to the official BrahMos Aerospace website, the BrahMos missile was developed through a strategic partnership between India and Russia. The name ‘BrahMos’ is derived from the combination of two rivers, namely the Brahmaputra River in India and the Moskva River in Russia. This missile is considered one of the world’s most technologically advanced defence systems. It can strike with high speed and a high degree of accuracy. The BrahMos became India’s first full-scale weapon to be exported internationally. Indian PM Narendra Modi described the missile as India’s pride and the most sophisticated high-tech deterrence system in its class. The BrahMos missile operates in two stages. The first stage uses a solid propellant booster engine to reach supersonic speed, after which it detaches. The second stage uses a liquid ramjet that propels the missile to near Mach 2.8 during the cruise phase. The specifications and characteristics of the BrahMos missile are as follows: it carries a conventional warhead of up to 200 kg, with its destructive power enhanced by significant kinetic energy upon impact; it is equipped with stealth technology and a guidance system with advanced embedded software; its cruising altitude can reach 15 km, but when approaching the target, the altitude can drop to as low as 5 metres; compared to modern subsonic cruise missiles, the BrahMos has three times the speed, nine times the kinetic energy, and a seeker range three to four times wider. The meeting between President Prabowo and PM Modi produced 16 agreements, including the cooperation on the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. ‘We are confident that these agreements can be implemented soon to deliver tangible results and benefits for the people of both countries,’ said Prabowo during a joint press statement with PM Modi at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Tuesday. The signed cooperation documents include the extension of a framework agreement between Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency and the Indian Space Research Organisation on the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes. Other agreements cover maritime safety and security, disaster management, minerals and technology for the steel supply chain, health worker collaboration, conservation and restoration of the Prambanan Temple complex, telecommunications, medical product regulation, agriculture, election management technology, and research and innovation. The defence contracts specifically include the BrahMos missile system contract between BrahMos and the Indonesian Ministry of Defence, and an air-to-air missile cooperation agreement between Bharat Dynamics and Republic Corp.