By Zarak Khan | 2026-03-23

Indonesia has finalized an agreement to purchase the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system from India, a move widely seen as part of broader efforts by Southeast Asian nations to strengthen coastal defenses and build credible deterrence against China's assertiveness in the South China Sea.

China claims more than 80% of the South China Sea as its territory, even though an international court rejected its case in 2016.

The acquisition, confirmed by Indonesian Defense Ministry spokesperson Rico Ricardo Sirait, marks a strategic shift for Jakarta as it seeks to secure key maritime chokepoints and enhance its ability to project power across its vast archipelago.

Indonesia has the world's largest archipelagic state with more than 17,000 islands and roughly 7.9 million square km of maritime territory.

The procurement of BrahMos missiles is part of Indonesia's "efforts to modernize" its weaponry, especially on coastal defense, and "boost deterrence capabilities in safeguarding national sovereignty," Rico told the Jakarta Globe on March 9.

The deal will further solidify the strategic defense partnership between Jakarta and New Delhi, he added.

Indonesia's planned acquisition "reflects its indirect involvement in the broader strategic competition pitting Southeast Asian states against China in the South China Sea," the Asia Times reported on March 11.

The report described Beijing as the biggest threat to Indonesia's maritime security.

Fast and lethal

The BrahMos missile, product of an Indian-Russian joint venture, is largely viewed as one of the world's fastest supersonic cruise missiles.

Compared with other supersonic cruise missiles, BrahMos has three times the velocity, a flight range 2.5 to 3 times greater, three to four times longer seeker time, and nine times more kinetic energy, according to BrahMos Aerospace.

The missile can reach speeds of up to Mach 2.8, almost three times the speed of sound. Its speed makes evasion or interception difficult.

India has been expediting the induction of the extended-range BrahMos missile, with a strike range of about 800km, an upgrade from the existing 450km variant, to ensure the conventional system is fully operational by the end of 2027, Indian officials told the Times of India in October.

The BrahMos missile can be launched from multiple platforms on land, at sea or in the air, the Diplomat reported March 10.

Multiple customers

Several Southeast Asian countries are particularly "interested in the land- and ship-based anti-ship variants of the BrahMos, whose prominent utility lies in countering Chinese interference in their naval operations in the South China Sea," Atul Kumar, a fellow at the Strategic Studies Program at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation, wrote in an analysis last year.

The Philippines is the first Southeast Asian country to buy the system. It signed a $375 million deal in 2022. Deliveries to Manila began in April 2024, with a second batch arriving one year after that.

The Philippine Marine Corps plans to deploy a BrahMos coastal defense battery in northern Luzon, where the Luzon Strait and nearby Bashi Channel are regarded as critical sea lanes that China could seek to control to access the open Pacific during a crisis.

Potential deals involving Vietnam and Indonesia are under discussion, said Kumar. Meanwhile, Malaysia and Thailand are evaluating the system.

Confrontations in N. Natuna Sea

Analysts view Indonesia's purchase of BrahMos as a direct response to persistent tensions in the North Natuna Sea, where Chinese coast guard and fishing vessels entered Indonesia's Exclusive Economic Zone in 2019 and 2020, asserting Beijing's "traditional fishing rights," according to a March 2 analysis by 9DashLine.

China has similar disputes with the Philippines, Vietnam and Japan, among others, over fishing rights and ownership of islands.

The incidents in the North Natuna Sea drove up tensions and prompted Jakarta to deploy naval ships and protest through diplomatic channels.

China has been subjecting Indonesia to "grey-zone tactics ... combining civilian activities, maritime law enforcement, and diplomacy to slowly expand its influence without triggering open conflict," 9DashLine wrote.

Although the confrontations in 2019 and 2020 subsided, "Chinese fishing incursions backed by maritime militia and coast guard vessels became less visible but never ceased," the report added.