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Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said connected Saturday (May 30, 2026) that a BrahMos rocket woody with Vietnam had already been signed, portion a akin pact involving Indonesia was successful the last stages.
Mr. Singh is successful Singapore to be the Shangri-La Dialogue, and his comments were successful effect to a question connected imaginable buyers of the rocket system.
"My knowing is that with some Indonesia and with Vietnam, the woody is successful the last stages that successful fact, for Vietnam, I recognize that it has already been signed, astir apt not publically announced, but it's already been signed," Mr. Singh said.
The Philippines, which signed a declaration worthy astir $375 cardinal successful 2022, was the archetypal overseas purchaser of the BrahMos rocket strategy from India.
Indonesia said successful March that it had entered into an statement with India to procure the BrahMos rocket system.
And, earlier this month, determination were quality reports that suggested Vietnam was adjacent to signing a BrahMos rocket woody with India. But Mr. Singh's comments connected Saturday (May 30, 2026) came arsenic the archetypal authoritative connection connected this successful the nationalist domain.
However, the values of the Vietnam and Indonesia deals person not been officially disclosed yet.
Referring to the broader contented of sharing precocious defence technologies, Mr. Singh said countries mostly sold blase weapons systems and platforms to nations they regarded arsenic affable partners. "Obviously you stock exertion with radical you trust," helium said.
He further said that India has a beardown committedness to the ASEAN nations, "and we dainty each of you arsenic “friendly overseas countries” with whom we tin stock precocious defence technologies".
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises 11 subordinate states — Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.
Several ASEAN subordinate states, including the Philippines and Vietnam, person overlapping maritime claims with China successful the South China Sea — 1 of the world's busiest commercialized routes. India's BrahMos exports to countries successful the portion person drawn attraction arsenic New Delhi expands defence ties with Southeast Asian nations.
Mr. Singh told delegates astatine the Shangri-La Dialogue that India was acceptable to enactment with partners crossed the portion and beyond to physique resilient proviso chains, trusted defence partnerships, unafraid maritime commons and innovation cooperation. "Today, resilience has go 1 of the defining strategical requirements of our time."
Drawing attraction to geopolitical uncertainty, conflicts successful Europe and West Asia, disruptions successful maritime commercialized routes, proviso concatenation vulnerabilities, technological disruptions and increasing strategical competition, Mr. Singh said these factors were reshaping the planetary information landscape.
"The lessons from caller years are clear. Defence preparedness cannot beryllium upon fragile oregon overly concentrated proviso chains. Nations contiguous necessitate resilient, trusted, diversified, and technologically adaptive defence concern ecosystems," helium said astatine a league connected Building Defence Industrial Resilience.
For India, resilience is not simply astir self-reliance but besides astir gathering trusted partnerships, diversified manufacturing networks, innovation ecosystems and unafraid proviso chains that lend to determination and planetary stability, helium said.
The Defence Secretary besides said India had undertaken large reforms successful defence production, innovation and exports implicit the past decade. The state had opened the assemblage to greater private-sector participation, encouraged startups and tiny industries, strengthened indigenous plan and manufacturing and expanded collaboration with planetary partners, helium said.
India was not lone modernising its equipped forces but was besides emerging arsenic a dependable defence manufacturing and attraction hub, Mr. Singh said.
He said government-owned companies accounted for astir 72% of India's defence production, portion the backstage assemblage contributed the rest. Three Indian government-owned defence firms were among the world's apical 100 arms-producing companies.
The Indian defence manufacture had developed capabilities successful areas specified arsenic rocket systems, combatant craft and main conflict tanks, portion efforts were underway to span gaps successful propulsion technologies crossed land, aerial and oversea domains, helium said. "Our nonsubjective is not to make exclusive blocs, but inclusive and reliable partnerships that fortify corporate information and trim strategical vulnerabilities."
