India to sell BrahMos missile to Vietnam
Posted on: 13/Jun/2016 9:54:18 AM
India will sell the supersonic Brahmos missile to Vietnam. Experts see this as a tactic to counter China’s growing military assertiveness in the region. Earlier this week, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his Vietnamese counterpart General Ngo Xuan Lich had met for bilateral talks in which the possible sale of the missile was discussed.
The BrahMos Missile was made through an Indo Russian joint venture. Selling the supersonic weapon will mark a shift for the world’s biggest arms importer, as India seeks to send weapons the other way in order to shore up partners’ defences and boost revenues. Say sources, Hanoi had expressed interest in acquiring Indian-made BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, a deal for which India is open to.
Though Vietnam along with some other countries were eyeing to import 290 km-range BrahMos weapon system, New Delhi was reluctant to sell it fearing it would tick off China. Moreover, Russia, being the partner of the joint production of the missile, was also opposed to the idea of selling the supersonic missile. The sources say that the Narendra Modi government has ordered BrahMos Aerospace, which produces the missiles, to accelerate sales to a list of five countries including Vietnam, Indonesia, South Africa, Chile and Brazil. Philippines is at the top of a second list of 11 nations, including Malaysia, Thailand and United Arab Emirates, which had expressed their interest, but need further discussions and analysis to buy BrahMos.
