International Relations GS 2 In the news 18 times

BrahMos Missile

India's Defence Export Flagship

BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile jointly developed by India and Russia under a 1998 agreement between India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyeniya, through the BrahMos Aerospace joint venture. It is among the fastest operational cruise missiles in the world (Mach 2.8–3.0) and can be launched from land, sea, submarine, and air platforms. BrahMos exports are a flagship element of India's Defence Export Policy, which targets $5 billion in annual defence exports by 2025.

Key details

BrahMos developed under a 1998 India-Russia inter-governmental agreement; BrahMos Aerospace Pvt. Ltd. is the joint venture entity.
Speed: Mach 2.8 to Mach 3 (approximately 900–1,000 m/s); range: up to 450–500 km (extended-range variants).
Variants: land-based (shore-based anti-ship), ship-launched, submarine-launched, air-launched (from Su-30MKI aircraft).
Philippines deal: $375 million, signed 2022 — India's first major defence export of BrahMos.
India's Defence Exports Policy 2020 targets $5 billion annual exports by 2025; exports crossed ₹23,622 crore in FY 2024-25.
Vietnam's South China Sea exposure makes shore-based anti-ship variants particularly relevant for its coastal defence.

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