Indonesia has initiated the purchase of Brahmos cruise missiles from India, according to Indian media.
The Indian embassy in Jakarta has received a letter from the Indonesian Ministry of Defense regarding the potential $450-million purchase, The New Indian Express revealed, citing sources.
To facilitate the purchase, a loan arrangement is being worked out with Indian banks, the Indian outlet added.
The transaction can take place in the countries’ respective currencies, as both are part of the intergovernmental BRICS organization.
Minor Issue
An announcement was likely during the visit of President Prabowo Subianto to New Delhi later this month, the Indian outlet added.
Subianto has been invited as the chief guest at India’s Republic Day event, which takes place annually on January 26 in New Delhi.
However, his subsequent planned visit to Pakistan has been objected to by the Indian government, as New Delhi does not want to be diplomatically associated with its South Asian neighbor, however tangentially.
According to The New Indian Express, the Pakistan visit could impact the Brahmos deal.
According to the latest media reports, however, Subianto’s Pakistan visit has been cancelled, clearing the way for the reported Brahmos announcement.
Brahmos Deal
Jakarta has been mulling the Indo-Russian missile system for years now. Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin recently spoke on exploring collaboration with India on Brahmos technology.
If the deal goes through, Indonesia will become the second nation to acquire the system after the Philippines.
The missile can be launched from land, air, or sea and has a speed of around Mach 3, which is considered to be the fastest in the world in its category.
Its export variant has a restricted range of 290 kilometers (180 miles), while the domestic model can strike targets as far away as 500 kilometers (311 miles). Longer-range Brahmos versions are also being developed.