India Looks To Seal Huge BrahMos Deal With Indonesia But Can It Ignore Dragon’s Shadow? | India News
India appears to be on the verge of achieving a historic defense export: the nearly US$450 million BrahMos missile deal with Indonesia. Officials say negotiations between New Delhi and Jakarta are largely complete and almost all the formalities have been resolved, currently only awaiting final approval from Russia, which is co-developing BrahMos.
If finalized, this would mark one of India’s biggest defense export achievements and make Indonesia the second ASEAN country (after the Philippines) to procure this high-speed, high-precision missile.
Officials in India see this not just as a sale but also as a broader strategic move; It is part of India’s desire to become a reliable arms supplier in the Indo-Pacific as regional maritime tensions intensify.
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What Does BrahMos Offer to Indonesia?
For Jakarta, the acquisition of BrahMos could significantly improve its maritime defense capabilities. The missile system, which can be launched from land, sea or air platforms, offers a powerful deterrent force, especially valuable for the protection of Indonesia’s vast archipelagic waters and disputed maritime zones.
The timing of the agreement is of strategic importance, given China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea and surrounding waters. Observers believe BrahMos could help slightly shake up the regional balance and give Southeast Asian countries greater leverage in controlling maritime borders and deterring aggression.
Strategic Motives
For India, the agreement represents more than a transfer of arms. It highlights a broader geopolitical agenda: strengthening ties with key maritime neighbors, deepening defense diplomacy, and undermining China’s dominance in Southeast Asia. With exports, India can expand its footprint as a reliable security partner across the region.
For Indonesia, BrahMos provides strategic protection. Historically dependent on Chinese defense hardware and Chinese economic investments, Jakarta now has the opportunity to diversify its suppliers and reduce over-reliance on a single power. The move could help Indonesia reassert its autonomy in defense planning amid rising regional tensions.
Shadow of China
Despite the promise, some analysts warn that the deal could carry risks, especially given Indonesia’s deep economic and diplomatic ties with China. There are concerns in some Indian strategic circles that providing BrahMos to Jakarta could potentially result in unintended technology leakage or reverse engineering if China gains access through unofficial channels or Indonesia’s existing China-linked acquisitions.
Moreover, Indonesia’s decision-making remains cautious. As recently as October 2025, the Ministry of Defense announced that no formal procurement decision had been made on BrahMos. This hesitation may reflect Jakarta’s balancing act, which wants advanced military capability but is wary of antagonizing Beijing. A full pivot to India-led defense deals could risk economic or diplomatic problems with China, which has long influenced Indonesia through trade, investment, infrastructure financing and broader regional diplomacy.
While the deal may provide a much-needed boost to the defense sector in India, New Delhi may be wary of BrahMos falling into Chinese hands.
