India’s Ministry of Defence signed an INR6.615 billion ($68.32 million) contract with BrahMos Aerospace on October 6 to provide Indian Navy ships with BrahMos fire-control equipment and launchers.
The procurement falls under the category for indigenously designed, developed and manufactured equipment. The contract requires indigenous content of at least 68 per cent.
The New Indian Express reported that the equipment is understood to be earmarked for two missile corvettes of the Veer class and two Ranvir-class destroyers.
According to the newspaper, new frontline ships carry BrahMos as standard equipment while the navy is retrofitting older vessels to add the missile.
The ministry described BrahMos as the navy’s principal surface-to-surface missile (SSM) for maritime strike operations. Fitted to various frontline warships, it can engage land and sea targets at extended ranges at supersonic speed.
On March 1, 2024, the ministry placed two contracts with BrahMos Aerospace, valued at INR195.19 billion for missiles and INR9.88 billion for ship-borne BrahMos systems. The missile purchase was intended to meet the navy’s needs for combat outfit and training.
Existing installations include the Visakhapatnam-class destroyer INS Imphal, which carries 16 BrahMos anti-ship cruise missiles.
Meanwhile the Nilgiri-class frigate INS Taragiri carries eight BrahMos missiles in its vertical-launch-system cells.
