How India’s Missile Programme Is Becoming a Major Defence Export Story For years, India’s defence industry was better known for what the country bought than what it sold. That equation is changing. At the centre of that change is BrahMos — the supersonic cruise missile jointly developed by India and Russia. What began as a major defence technology partnership has increasingly become an export story, with the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia emerging as foreign customers and the United Arab Emirates among countries discussing a possible acquisition. The development matters not simply because missiles are being exported. It signals a broader change in India’s ambition: from being a major defence importer to becoming a credible supplier of sophisticated military systems. From the Philippines to Southeast Asia The first major breakthrough came in 2022. On January 28 that year, BrahMos Aerospace signed a contract with the Philippines’ Department of National Defense for a Shore-Based Anti-Ship Missile System. BrahMos itself described the agreement as an important step for India’s policy of promoting responsible defence exports. The Philippines subsequently became the first foreign operator of the system. Vietnam followed. On May 30, 2026, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh publicly confirmed that India had signed