New Delhi, Mar 13: In a major success for the indigenous industry, the Indian Navy is going to place orders for acquiring more than 200 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles which would be equipped on all the frontline warships of the maritime force.
The Indo-Russian joint venture company has recently carried out test firings of the missile with a high level of indigenous content and is also going to equip the missile with an indigenous seeker too. "The Indian Navy proposal to acquire more than 200 of these BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles is at an advanced stage and is expected to be cleared by the Defence Ministry soon," senior defence officials said.
The acquisition will also help the Indian Navy to stock the missiles in its arsenal which are deployed on warships as well as part of the mobile coastal missile batteries of the force. The missile system has made significant advancements in the last few years after the Indo-Russian joint venture company increased its strike range from 290 km to more than 400 km. The indigenous content in the missile system has also been increased and many of its systems have been upgraded and indigenized to increase the participation of Indian industry and manufacturers.
The missile system is also being exported to the Philippines. The Philippines Marine Corps personnel have also undergone training at the BrahMos facilities in India and more of their batches are going to be trained here. Brahmos Aerospace, headed by Atul Rane, is also working towards achieving USD 5 billion export target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BrahMos Chairman had stated that after the first export deal with the Philippines at $375 million, his team was targeting USD 5 Billion by 2025.
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