By N. C. Bipindra
Singapore: India has already signed a deal to sell the supersonic BrahMos cruise missiles to Vietnam, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said on Saturday (May 30, 2026), an action that is set to rile up arch rival China, which has a maritime territorial dispute with the Southeast asian nation.
This is the first time that the BrahMos deal with Vietnam was revealed, and comes days after India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Hanoi, when it was speculated that India would sign the contract to sell the world’s only operational supersonic cruise missile to that nation, which has a maritime territorial dispute with China.
Rajesh Kumar Singh announced the BrahMos deal with Vietnam at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, where he was representing India. The deal is speculated to be worth INR 5,976 crore ($629 million), though the Defence Secretary did not provide details of the financials involved.
India has previously sold the missile to the Philippines, another Southeast Asian nation with maritime disputes with China. Both the Philippines and Vietnam are ASEAN nations.
India is also negotiating a similar BrahMos deal with Indonesia, another ASEAN nation, and is expected to soon sign the contract to supply the supersonic cruise missile it built in cooperation with Russia.
The Vietnam deal would involve training and logistics support, too, apart from delivering the BrahMos weapon system. India had used the BrahMos missile during its May 2025 Operation Sindoor against Pakistan to destroy terrorist infrastructure, military bases, and defence equipment.
“My understanding is that with both Indonesia and Vietnam, the deal is in the final stages. That, in fact, for Vietnam, I understand that it has already been signed, probably not publicly announced, but it’s already been signed,” Rajesh Kumar Singh said, responding to a question on potential buyers of the BrahMos missile system. He also said India has a strong commitment to the ASEAN nations.
The Philippines was the first foreign buyer of the BrahMos, signing a $375-million contract in 2022. The BrahMos sales — with two foreign customers now and one more in the pipeline — have boosted India’s bid to emerge as an arms exporting nation, strengthening the domestic defence manufacturing ecosystem.
Interestingly, Indonesia had said in March 2026 that it signed an agreement with India to buy the BrahMos missiles. However, the Defence Secretary’s latest remarks indicated the negotiations were still progressing and are nearing completion.
Referring to the broader issue of defence technology transfers, Rajesh Kumar Singh said countries generally shared advanced military technologies with trusted partners. “Obviously, you share technology with people you trust,” he said.
India viewed ASEAN countries as friendly partners, the Defence Secretary said, adding, “We treat all of you as friendly foreign countries with whom we can share advanced defence technologies.”
Addressing a session titled ‘Building Defence Industrial Resilience’, Rajesh Kumar Singh said India was ready to work with partners across the region and beyond to develop resilient supply chains, trusted defence partnerships, secure maritime commons, and innovation cooperation. “Today, resilience has become one of the defining strategic requirements of our time,” he said.
Highlighting growing geopolitical uncertainty, the Defence Secretary pointed to conflicts in Europe and West Asia, disruptions in maritime trade routes, supply chain vulnerabilities, technological disruptions, and increasing strategic competition as factors reshaping the global security environment.
“The lessons from recent years are clear. Defence preparedness cannot depend upon fragile or overly concentrated supply chains. Nations today require resilient, trusted, diversified, and technologically adaptive defence industrial ecosystems,” he said.
For India, resilience is not only about self-reliance but also about building trusted partnerships, diversified manufacturing networks, innovation ecosystems, and secure supply chains that contribute to regional and global stability, he added.
The Defence Secretary said India had implemented major reforms in defence production, innovation, and exports over the past decade. The government opened the sector to greater private-sector participation, encouraged startups and small industries, strengthened indigenous design and manufacturing capabilities, and expanded collaboration with global partners.
India is not only modernising its armed forces but is also emerging as a dependable defence manufacturing and maintenance hub, he said, adding the state-run enterprises accounted for nearly 72% of India’s defence production, while the private sector contributes the remaining share.
Rajesh Kumar Singh also noted that three Indian government-owned defence firms were among the world’s top 100 arms-producing companies.
He said the Indian defence industry had developed capabilities in missile systems, fighter aircraft, and main battle tanks, while efforts were underway to bridge gaps in propulsion technologies across land, air, and sea domains.
“Our objective is not to create exclusive blocs, but inclusive and reliable partnerships that strengthen collective security and reduce strategic vulnerabilities,” the Defence Secretary added.
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