Is it for India to export missiles to Russia?, This tank | Russia | missile
According to the Hong Kong Asia Times website on July 14th, India is considering selling the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile to Russia, which may be a role swap between India and Russia, two long-term strategic allies who jointly developed this powerful weapon.
According to a report, the Indian magazine One Week quoted Atul Dinkar Rahn, Executive Director and CEO of Brahmos Aerospace, as saying in response to questions that his company has always seen Russia as a potential market for air launched Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles, stating that Russia currently does not have a corresponding active missile.
"If they had made a purchase earlier, they would have a lot of weapons available in the current situation," he said. "After the ongoing development in Europe ends, we may have received some orders from Russia, especially for the air launched 'Brahms'."
Russia may use Brahmos like the P-800 Agate missile. Although the P-800 Onyx was designed as an anti-ship missile, it has already been used in Syria and Ukraine to strike ground targets.
Although the performance characteristics of "Brahmus" and "onyx" are similar, institutional issues in Russia's defense industry caused by insufficient funding, corruption, and Western sanctions may ultimately drive Russia to purchase "Brahmus" from India.
If Russia chooses to use Brahmos in Ukraine, the West will not have similar weapons to counter this missile. Western cruise missiles such as Storm Shadow are subsonic and use stealth, maneuverability, and ground contact to penetrate air defense networks.
Although Brahmos may not have any strategic impact on the progress of the Ukrainian war, like many of Russia's boastful "super weapons", it may push the West to provide Ukraine with more advanced weapons. These weapons may include more air defense systems or short-range ballistic missiles, such as the MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System.
The poor performance of Russia's heavily publicized "Dagger" hypersonic missile in Ukraine may lead to Russia purchasing "Brahmos" from India.
In an article for the Institute of Modern Warfare in May 2023, expert Peter Mitchell compared the "dagger" to a large lawn dart loaded with explosives, as these missiles use solid fuel rocket engines and may not be able to adjust or decelerate during flight.
Mitchell pointed out that once the rocket engine runs out of fuel, the "dagger" will fly towards the target in a ballistic arc, making sustained hypersonic flight towards the target unlikely. He said that the air resistance during the flight towards the target, insufficient movable components to control the flight attitude, and the weight of the missile itself limit its ability to maneuver and avoid interception.
The strategic partnership between India and Russia will play a crucial role in the future sale of Brahmos missiles to the latter.
The Asia Times website pointed out in April 2022 that although India is an important military power, it is also one of the largest arms importing countries. Currently, 70% of India's military equipment needs to be imported, with 60% coming from Russia.
Russia's significant material losses in Ukraine have made it possible for it to adjust some of India's weapons orders to compensate for its own combat losses. The sanctions imposed by the West on Russia's defense industry have also raised doubts about the feasibility and reliability of Russia as a long-term supplier of weapons to India.
The Moscow Times reported this month that Russian defense companies have been repurchasing equipment they produce and sell to certain Asian customers. For example, since December 2022, Russian tank manufacturer Ural Locomotive Equipment Factory has imported $24 million worth of products from the Burmese military, including 6000 scopes and 200 cameras, for installation on tanks that can modernize the currently sealed old Russian T-72.
According to a report by The Moscow Times, a Russian missile manufacturing company purchased $150000 worth of night vision equipment for anti-aircraft missiles from the Indian Ministry of Defense in August and November last year.
