Planning for Export of Defensive Akash Missiles and Offensive BrahMos
Dated : 08 Jan 2021 (IST)
India is presently the second-largest buyer of foreign weapons after Saudi Arabia in the world, accounting for 9.2% of the total global arms imports during 2015-2019. It does make the country dependent on others but it also gives certain strategic advantages. Russia, France and Israel are close friends of our. In this defence cooperation does play a role. The USA is desperately trying to enter this club.
However, for the first time India too has crossed the Rs 7500 crore mark for Export of some smaller weapons, components and ammunition.
Now the Atmanirvar Bharat is planning to emerge as a major arms exporter and bolster strategic ties with other friendly countries. However, one has to be careful while exporting missiles which are meant for offensive strikes. Thus India has drawn up a list of nations to whom the Akash surface-to-air defence missile systems, BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missiles for deep strike and other weapons can be sold in the years ahead.
The case for exporting the offensive BRAHMOS missiles, developed jointly with Russia, to the Philippines is already with the Cabinet Committee for Security for final approval, say defence sources. Naturally the range for such export version of offensive missiles will be limited to 300km. India has already deployed BRAHMOS with 450 km range and now carrying out trials for 800km range. The missile with 1500km range is already in the offing.
The second country on the list is Indonesia, while Vietnam, UAE, Saudi Arabia and South Africa have also shown an interest in acquiring the 290-km range BrahMos, which has emerged as the “precision-strike weapon of choice” for Indian armed forces.
There are nine countries, in turn, which have shown interest in the indigenously-developed Akash missile systems, which can intercept hostile aircraft, helicopters, drones and subsonic cruise missiles at a range of 25-km. They are Kenya, Philippines, Indonesia, UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Vietnam and Algeria.
“Being over 96% indigenous, there is no need to seek any third country’s concurrence to export Akash. For BRAHMOS, Russia has to be on board,” said a source.
The Akash export version will also be slightly different version of AKASH1 missile system from the one inducted by the armed forces. India had now deployed AKASH2 version also. The 100-km range air-to-air Astra missiles, now entering production after successful trials from Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, also have “good export potential”, said sources.
India has already chalked out an ambitious target of Re 37000 crore annual export target to be achieved by 2025. Going by the faith being shown by other countries in the Indian anti COVID Vaccine, it is not far fetched that similar trust will be placed on Indian weapons. Towards this end, the Union Cabinet on December 30 approved the export of Akash systems.
It also set up a committee of defence minister Rajnath Singh, external affairs minister S Jaishankar and national security advisor Ajit Doval to “authorize subsequent exports” to various countries in an expeditious manner.
Both BrahMos and Akash are “tried, tested and successfully inducted systems”. Indian armed forces have ordered Akash systems worth Rs 24,000 crore over the years, with another contract for Rs 10,000 crore on the way now. Contracts for BRAHMOS, in turn, have already crossed Rs 36,000 crore.
