June 3, 2016
To take on China's increasing hegemony in Asia, the Modi government has cleared sale of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile to Vietnam.
Picture: Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft patrol the skies over the Himalayas.
June 3, 2016
To take on China's increasing hegemony in Asia, the Modi government has cleared sale of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile to Vietnam.
Picture: Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft patrol the skies over the Himalayas.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar begins a five-day visit to Singapore and Vietnam from today. The main highlight of the visit would be talks on sale of BrahMos missiles to Vietnam.
Vietnam had been eyeing the missile for over five years now but the UPA government had been reluctant to give the nod fearing Chinese objections.
The BrahMos Diaries
BrahMos is a supersonic anti-ship missile, developed jointly by New Delhi and Moscow. It is considered one of the most effective and lethal anti-ship missiles in any nation's inventory, almost entirely due to its speed
While the current BrahMos launch vehicles are surface and aircraft based, India is testing a submarine-launch version that could conceivably be used in Vietnam's Kilo-class submarines.
Highly placed defence sources said both PM Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar were in favor of exporting the missile system to Vietnam
Beijing has expressed reservations against any plans by New Delhi to supply weapons to Vietnam China and Vietnam are already locked in a tense face-off over maritime boundaries in the South China Sea
Praveen Pathak, spokesman for BrahMos Aerospace, told India Today: "We expect friendly nations-with whom neither India nor Russia have a conflict – to show an interest in buying these missiles."
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