India Target Of USD 5 Billion In Arms Exports Will Be Led By Brahmos Missiles

The BrahMos is currently the world’s fastest Ramjet powered supersonic cruise missile, at speeds up to Mach 4, and pin-point accuracy on target. It is made in a joint venture company at BrahMos Aerospace that is 25 years old.

It is tested, tried and widely inducted in the Indian Armed Forces for use in land, sea-including both ships and submarines, air, for a range of up to 500 km, and ability to fly 49,000 feet in the sky, or 15 miles up, as well as skim the sea at just 3 or 4 metres.

It is very difficult to intercept because of its speed. New generation BrahMos now being tested, will be operationalised soon for ranges of 600 km and 800 km and finally, 1,500 km at higher speeds of Mach 7-8. It carries a conventional semi-armour piercing warhead.

‘From about $ 1.5 billion in 2020-2021, India targets to export $5 billion worth of military hardware by 2025,’ said Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 14th Aero India in Bengaluru in February 2023.

The S1.5 billion already achieved is composed of exports to 80 countries. The US is a prominent customer for parts of platforms for the F16 fighter jets, Chinook and Apache helicopters. Armenia bought the Pinaka Multi Barrel Rocket Launchers, artillery guns, and a range of ammunition. Philippines, Mauritius and Ecuador bought Dhruv helicopters.

On the cards are additional orders for at least $ 1,100 million for the BrahMos missiles from the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. This will be a good boost to India’s ‘Act East’ policy enunciated by the Modi government.

India has long and consistently been the top importer of armaments in the world in value terms, and continues to import billions of dollars-worth even today. This, while it ramps up its Aatmanirbhar defence manufacturing programme out of increasing concern for strategic autonomy, and the high cost of imported armaments that hold no secrets for our enemies. Next to crude oil and gas, armaments account for India’s biggest import bill.

The indigenous and joint-venture based manufacturing programme now accounts for 68% of all the items on the defence purchase list, over 300 items, with more being added.

Government owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) being expanded to manufacture more Tejas aircraft and India made helicopters, and the key Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO), now also making light tanks for use in Ladakh and along the LAC, are leading the charge. Both were languishing and moribund before the Modi government took over as the preference was to import armaments with its pay off in terms of lucrative commissions. 

 Now the list of active players is growing with several government owned ordnance factories reorganised to put paid to ammunition shortages, government owned BEML, various shipyards, in both the public and private sector, other defence manufacturing programmes in private sector Tata, Mahindra, L&T, Kalyani, and Start Ups working on drones, radar, and bits of new technology.

India’s missile making programme including other platforms like the Akash and Astra, has been particularly successful. BrahMos Aerospace, a 50.5-49.5 percent joint venture between India’s DRDO and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya, has become internationally famous, and is beginning to notch up significant buying interest from multiple countries.

Currently, 76% in terms of content of the BrahMos missiles are India-manufactured, and this is likely to increase to 85% as Indian-made seekers and boosters are added. The present BrahMos DG Rane thinks it will become 100% Indian-made within three years or 2026. BrahMos R&D is carried out at its unit in New Delhi.

BrahMos was tested with an India-made seeker for the first time in in March 2018, and tested with an Indian propulsion system, airframe and power supply in September 2019.

We are already responding to most of the requirements from Indian Armed Forces, such as for lighter air missiles, longer ranges, more speed, via BrahMos design studios, with the manufacturing executed, almost exclusively in India. This has become a crucial factor both for speed of production, capacity enhancement, and keeping up with domestic and foreign demand.

Therefore, the chances of Russia preventing or slowing further development or sales in export for any reason are slight going forward. With the toll taken by the Ukraine War on the Russian armaments industry, it is just as well, though Russia is probably happy with its share of the India-based and export profits. It could, however, come under Chinese pressure in the near future. One option then could be a buy-out of the Russian share of 49.5% by India. However this might be diplomatically difficult and very expensive.

Alternatively, a similar set of missiles and its improved variants, rebranded and made in separate facilities, made 100% in India, would do away with the pitfalls of a joint venture. Our old Russian friends have made some recent changes in diplomatic policy. Profits, in the event, would also not have to be shared. Confidentiality would improve. Domestic consumption by Indian Armed Forces would come cheaper, and account for the bulk of BrahMos sales. And most importantly, Chinese pressure would no longer be a factor.

The growing Russia-China Axis, and Pakistan being added to the mix by Russia presumably under Chinese pressure, is a distinct worry. That there is a growing security risk with China’s penchant for reverse engineering other people’s armaments, with possible Russian help, is another problem.

Fortunately, India has other joint development options now. There is an American offer on the table, in addition to that of the Russians, to help develop urgently needed hypersonic missiles in joint venture. 

The name BrahMos comes from the Brahmaputra in India and the Moskva in Russia. The unit cost for the BrahMos is $3.5 million and for the BrahMos ER ( extended range) is $ 4.85 million. Cost competitiveness and reliability, along with flexible design options will increasingly become the hallmark of Indian arms exports.

A 300 km range variant is offered for export and has already been sold to the Philippines for $375 million. The missiles are under production and will be delivered by the end of 2023. Personnel from the Phillipines are currently being trained in their use. The Philippines is considering a further follow-on order for $ 300 million. These are for their shore-based anti-ship missile batteries.

Talks are ongoing with a dozen interested countries presently. Indonesia is likely to order $200 million worth by the end of 2023, of the Ship-borne missiles to be fitted on their warships. Other South East Asian navies in Thailand, Vietnam (looking to buy $625 million worth), Singapore, Malaysia and Myanmar, have expressed interest along with others, such as the UAE.

Meanwhile BrahMos Aerospace DG Atul Dinkar Rane recently said that technology bricks are being developed in-house for BrahMos hypersonic precision guided missiles to fly at Mach 7-8.

The BrahMos order book is presently at $ 6 billion, mostly from the Indian Armed Forces.

The missile industrial consortium that supports BrahMos has over 200 Indian defence firms from public and private sectors that design, develop and deliver critical components and sub-systems for one of the world’s fastest precision guided weapons.

The BrahMos unit at Nagpur makes the missiles for use in the air. It is currently working on a new generation (NG) missile that will be 50% lighter than the present 3,000 kg, and is expected to go into production in 2025-26. A new facility on 200 acres is coming up for the NG in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

Flight trials for the NG are expected to start by the end of 2024. Lighter air BrahMos missiles will mean more of them can be carried by fighter aircraft. The present heavier missile can only be carried on the Su-30 aircraft, after modifications both in the missile and the aircraft.

Similar moves to carry them on other military aircraft need extensive modifications at its original weight of 3,000 kg. and this is proving impractical. The missile weight was whittled down to 2,550 kg but it is still too heavy, ideally speaking.  With the NG at about 1,500 kg., there are plans to fit one on the Tejas MK1 light combat aircraft (LCA) fighters with GE 404 engines. And perhaps two NG on the Tejas MK2 medium weight fighters with GE 414 engines. And certainly two on the heavier Sukhoi 30 and Rafale twin engine fighters. These BrahMos missiles will be complemented by a pair of the air-to-air 72 km range India made Astra missiles, to complete the suite.

 Squadrons of the Tejas MK1 are slated to replace the Soviet era MIG 21s and MIG 29s. The Tejas MK2 are expected to replace the ageing French Mirage fighters in the IAF line up. The AMCA stealth fighters are still in development, but may well get a boost from further cooperation with the Americans.

The Naval BrahMos has already been fitted on 10 Indian Navy ships with orders from 13 more ships. The eventual aim is to have BrahMos missiles on every Indian Navy ship and submarine. The Defence Ministry has approved a proposal for the purchase of 200 extended range BrahMos missiles for the Navy’s frontline warships.

 Componentry is manufactured, in part, at the BrahMos facility at Trivandrum. The integration complex is located at Hyderabad. Another production centre is at Thiruvananthapuram. A new facility is being developed at Pilani. A 200 acre campus for the NG is coming up at Lucknow.

India aspires to be a reliable ‘defence partner’ from its earlier position of being a big buyer. India will collaborate in the making of the American GE 414 engines for the Tejas MK 2 fighter aircraft in India. These are much faster, with greater thrust, than the earlier fully bought-out GE 404 engines used for the Tejas MK1. 

There is also a recent announcement that the American Lockheed Corporation and  Tata will make the C-130JSuper Hercules military transport aircraft in India.

India is also negotiating hard for the technology transfer in the imminent purchase of 31 armed Predator drones for $ 3.5 billion from the US. It also has its own armed drone project even as it has just two Predator drones on lease from America.

Airbus C295 military transport aircraft are already ordered on an imported basis, and will also be India-made shortly to make this country the biggest operator of this transport aircraft in the world.

Noting all this coming thick and fast, the Western press, such as the normally derogatory Economist of the UK, is calling India ‘America’s new best friend’ prior to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US between 21-24^th June 2023. It represents India, not as a lumbering elephant as before, but a majestic Royal Bengal Tiger.

By 2025, BrahMos might not have the order book for the complete $ 5 billion export armament target, but it will certainly be a leading component of it, particularly as new generation longer range and faster versions are also offered in their export variants.

The TejasMK2 with the GE 414 engine armed with Brahmos NG and Astra missiles, will offer an attractive proposition for export. The Dhruv and Light Combat helicopter with their ability to fly higher than all other combat helicopters with a full suite of armaments will also find buyers abroad.

(1863 words)

June 15^th, 2023

For: Firstpost/News18.com

Gautam Mukherjee