NEW DELHI, October 20. /TASS/. Numerous countries have shown interest in acquiring BrahMos cruise missiles following New Delhi’s Operation Sindoor, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
"The BrahMos and Akash missiles demonstrated their effectiveness during Operation Sindoor. The name BrahMos alone is enough to make people take notice. Many countries are expressing interest in the BrahMos missile," he pointed out in an address delivered aboard the Vikrant aircraft carrier, where he celebrated the Diwali festival.
According to Modi, India is expanding its export capacity for weapons for all three armed services. "We aim to become the world’s largest arms exporter," the premier stressed, adding that India’s weapons exports had increased 30-fold over the past 11 years.
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh stated earlier that at least 14 countries had shown interest in acquiring the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile after its successful use in the Indian Air Forces’ Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the April 22 terrorist attack in the town of Pahalgam in India’s Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. In the early hours of May 7, the Indian Air Force struck nine terrorist-related targets in Pakistan and the Islamabad-controlled part of Kashmir. Pakistan retaliated with attacks. On May 10, the parties agreed to declare a ceasefire and explore the possibility of reducing troop deployments along the border.
The BrahMos missile was jointly developed by Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya and the Indian Defense Ministry’s Defense Research and Development Organization. The BrahMos Aerospace joint venture was created in 1995 to produce the missile. Today, the missile is available in land-, sea-, and air-launched versions.