In a huge boost to Modi government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, Middle-East nations like Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar have shown interest in procuring India’s BrahMos supersonic missiles. BrahMos operates within a range of 290KMs. “The talks are still in the early stages and further discussions put on hold due to the global lockdown due to COVID-19,” reported Swarajya. Earlier, there were reports of Philippines purchasing BrahMos and hence becoming the first customer of the missile system.
With the Indian Army Chief General MM Narawane visiting Saudi Arabia and UAE in his four-day tour, negotiations on the price of missiles are expected to take place. General Narawane is expected to hold discussions with senior stakeholders from both sides. BrahMos is the only supersonic cruise missile in the world that flies at three times the speed of sound (2.8 Mach). It is much sought-after because it can be used for both coastal defence and ground attack.
Arab nations’ willingness to purchase BrahMos should be seen in a larger context of changing geopolitical dynamics. India could gain from the normalisation of ties between the Arab world and Israel since the nation enjoys good diplomatic relations with both of them. Procurement of BrahMos by the Arab nations should also be seen as a giant step towards the mission of India becoming an exporter of defence equipment.
