India Defence Exports and Relations

[Nilgiri]

The seventh edition of Exercise DUSTLIK 2026 is underway at the Gurumsaray Field Training Area in Uzbekistan’s Namangan region, running from April 12 to April 25. The joint exercise brings together 60 personnel from India, including troops from a battalion of the MAHAR Regiment and the Indian Air Force, alongside a similar-sized contingent from the Uzbekistan Army and Air Force.

 

[TR_123456]

DUSTLIK

Friendship?

 

[Nilgiri]

Friendship?

Yup. I would guess you Oghuz understand 80%+ of your chagatai brethren language (without learning it etc)?

 

[TR_123456]

Yup. I would guess you Oghuz understand 80%+ of your chagatai brethren language (without learning it etc)?

Yeah many single words are the same but they speak so fast the rest is immediately lost.

 

[Nilgiri]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2051996244873302323

 

[Nilgiri]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2051996244873302323

Some naval assets (OPVs, speedboats) also being discussed with current line of credit:

Vietnam Slated to Order BrahMos and Naval Vessels from India - Naval News

Vietnam and India are set to improve defence ties with the procurement of BrahMos, three to four OPVs and 14 patrol boats...

www.navalnews.com

 

[Nilgiri]

India says signed BrahMos missile deal with Vietnam​

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/india-says-signed-brahmos-missile-deal-with-vietnam-2026-05-30/

• India has a strong commitment to ASEAN nations, Singh said, without disclosing more details of the deals related to BrahMos.
• Singh was speaking at Asia's ‌premier ⁠defence forum, the Shangri-La Dialogue.
• India, which has been building up domestic defence manufacturing for local use and exports, ⁠has already sold the supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines.
• A deal with ⁠Vietnam could be worth about 60 billion rupees ($629 million), including ⁠training and logistical support, Reuters has previously reported, citing a source.

 

[Nilgiri]

https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-talks-sell-supersonic-brahmos-missile-uae-sources-say-2026-06-22/

BrahMos Missile :UAE looking to buy India's BrahMos, Akashteer air defence system: Report | - The Times of India

News News: NEW DELHI: India is in talks with the United Arab Emirates to sell some of its flagship defence systems, including the BrahMos supersonic cruise missi.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

 

[Gessler]

Apparently, Indonesia is interested in the Astra BVRAAM for their Su-30s...

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2074364030794494026

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2074356316433506365

We'll see if it happens (and which version, possibly the dual-pulse Mk-2 variant).

It serves to know that as part of the Indian Navy's Rafale-M deal, we've negotiated to integrate Astra with our Rafales, so the software package developed under that contract should also allow for it to be offered for Indonesia's Rafales, fulfilling an important middle-road option between the much shorter-ranged MICAs and the much more expensive Meteors.

Of course it will be subject to French approvals and whether the Indonesians actually want it in that role.

 

[Nilgiri]

Apparently, Indonesia is interested in the Astra BVRAAM for their Su-30s...

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2074364030794494026

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2074356316433506365

We'll see if it happens (and which version, possibly the dual-pulse Mk-2 variant).

It serves to know that as part of the Indian Navy's Rafale-M deal, we've negotiated to integrate Astra with our Rafales, so the software package developed under that contract should also allow for it to be offered for Indonesia's Rafales, fulfilling an important middle-road option between the much shorter-ranged MICAs and the much more expensive Meteors.

Of course it will be subject to French approvals and whether the Indonesians actually want it in that role.

View attachment 81316

If it opens up astra ecosystem to Indonesia, they potentially could want a later block for their KF-21 too.

That would need Korean support on integration though.

 

[Gessler]

At a TIFR seminar, former DRDO chairman Dr. Samir Kamat has shown this slide regarding defence exports:

Sale of Sonar systems to Taiwan is particularly interesting. I remember years ago there was a news piece that said India is among the countries assisting in Taiwan's indigenous Hai Kun-class SSK program:

Taiwan's friends aid stealthy submarine project as China threat rises

Taiwan has secretively recruited expertise and parts from at least 7 countries to build submarines to deter a Chinese invasion. Project codename: Sea Prosperity

www.reuters.com

"Taipei also succeeded in hiring engineers, technicians and former naval officers from at least five other countries: Australia, South Korea, India, Spain and Canada. Based at a shipyard in the port city of Kaohsiung, the experts have advised the Taiwanese navy and state-backed shipbuilder CSBC Corporation Taiwan, the company building the new submarines."

====

It's not known if some of this consultancy work eventually transpired into a sale of the USHUS sonar suite, or perhaps it was some other type of sonar.

 

[Nilgiri]

Philippines says BrahMos deliveries from India on track, eyes deeper defence cooperation - The Tribune

Philippines Ambassador to India Josel F. Ignacio said the BrahMos deal has not only strengthened the Philippines defence capabilities but has also changed the way Manila views India as a defence partner.

www.tribuneindia.com

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2091415441554248110

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2091752556263518226

 

[Nilgiri]

The visit comes as Belgium seeks to position its defence industry more firmly within India’s expanding military-industrial ecosystem, while India is increasingly looking at European companies not merely as suppliers but as partners for local production, technology transfer and access to global markets.

Fifteen Belgian companies accompanied the two leaders during the visit, with 10 agreements signed between Belgian and Indian defence companies.

The agreements cover a wide range of technologies, including ammunition, rockets, autonomous maritime systems, mine warfare, weapons, electro-optics, drones, counter-drone systems, air-defence software and armoured-vehicle systems.

Full article:

Belgium assures India on Pakistan defence ties as firms sign key pacts, including mine warfare​

The two countries also signed a Letter of Intent providing a framework for structured cooperation between their armed forces.​

Just a moment…

 

[Nilgiri]

You might find this development interesting @Saithan , this confirms the strategic potency of the Brahmos missile within Filipino force structure now if the US is also helping PH plan optimally alongside India.

Marines Help Philippine Armed Forces Develop Strike Plans for BrahMos Anti-Ship Missile​

https://news.usni.org/2026/09/08/marines-help-philippine-armed-forces-develop-strike-plans-for-brahmos-anti-ship-missile

U.S. and Philippine Marines are training how to defend Manila’s coastal waters through maritime strike rehearsals that simulate the use of recently acquired BrahMos anti-ship missiles, USNI News has learned.


According to images recently released by the Pentagon, the drills practiced the process of forming a kill chain using notional Armed Forces of the Philippines drones and ground-based anti-ship missiles against simulated maritime targets.


At Manila’s northernmost Marine base in Luzon on Aug. 25, American and Filipino planners plotted Air Force Hermes drones to track a surface action group in support of a BrahMos anti-ship missile strike. The simulated maritime targets were represented by two Type 052D-class guided-missile destroyers, a Type 054A-class frigate and a Type 901 fast combat support ship – vessels currently in service with China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy.


“Training alongside the Coastal Defense Regiment gives Marine Rotational Force – Southeast Asia Marines and Sailors valuable insight into how our Philippine counterparts approach maritime defense within the unique geography and operating environment of the Philippines,” Capt. MacKenzie Margroum, a spokesperson for the Marine Rotational Force – Southeast Asia, told USNI News.

(More at link)