Southeast Asia Market Eyes BrahMos Missiles Jointly Made by Russia, India

Several Southeast Asian nations, including Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia, have shown interest in buying Russian-Indian supersonic BrahMos cruise missiles, a spokesman for the manufacturer said Wednesday.

BANGKOK (Sputnik) — Speaking at an ongoing Defense & Security military expo in Bangkok, a spokesman for BrahMos Aerospace, a Russian-Indian joint military venture, told RIA Novosti that formal negotiations have not begun.

"Southeast Asia is a promising market for us. During this exhibition, we have been visited by several high-ranking defense ministry officials from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. We have had no official talks yet, but there is a high probability that they will become our clients in the future," the spokesman said.

BrahMos Aerospace was formed by India’s Defense Research and Development Organization and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyenia. It produces weapons systems using Russian and Indian technology.

BrahMos, a word combining Brahmaputra and Moscow, is a short-range supersonic missile, which has been in use by the Indian Navy since 2005. The missile has a range of 180 miles and can carry a conventional warhead of up to 660 pounds.