Singapore: Highlighting India’s expanding expertise in missile manufacturing and increasing outreach, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Saturday announced that a BrahMos missile deal has already been signed with Vietnam with another similar agreement with Indonesia currently in the final stages.
“My understanding is that with both Indonesia and with Vietnam, the deal is in the final stages. In fact, for Vietnam, I understand that it has already been signed, probably not publicly announced, but it’s already been signed. Obviously, you are in the category of friendly foreign countries with whom we would be happy to share this kind of advanced technology,” Singh said while responding to a question from a Vietnamese delegate during a media event held on the sidelines of the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore.
With the Philippines being the first buyer of supersonic cruise missiles jointly produced by India and Russia, Defence Secretary Singh asserted that India has a strong commitment to the ASEAN nations.
“We treat you all as friendly foreign countries with whom we can share advanced defence technology,” he told the gathering in Singapore.
The Philippines received the first batch of the BrahMos missiles in 2024, becoming India’s first customer of the missile, while India delivered the second batch of the missiles in April 2025.
Earlier this month, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh travelled to Hanoi, holding extensive discussions with his Vietnamese counterpart, General Phan Van Giang, on the expanding defence partnership between both nations and discussing ways to deepen cooperation in maritime security, defence industry, training, and regional stability.
Singh’s visit marked 10 years of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two nations, which was upgraded to Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the State visit of Vietnamese President To Lam earlier this month.
During his visit, he also called on the Vietnamese President and reaffirmed India’s commitment to strengthening cooperation under the Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two nations.
“India and Vietnam share a strong bond rooted in mutual trust, shared values and close cooperation in defence, security and regional stability,” the Defence Minister wrote in a post on X after the meeting.
With Defence Minister Singh voicing confidence that India’s defence exports will reach 50,000 crore rupees by 2030, defence experts reckon that, as defence market expands, New Delhi seeks to widen its influence in regions that align with its geopolitical and strategic interests, with the Global South becoming an increasingly important part of its strategic outlook.
(IANS)
