Asia Defense | Security | South Asia

India’s BrahMos at Sea: Implications for South Asian Stability

The planned Indian deployment of the BrahMos missile on all of its naval warships has destabilizing implications for the region.

A BrahMos fired from INS Chennai during TROPEX 2017

In May 2025, the confrontation between India and Pakistan was limited to the land and air domains. In the naval domain the two sides took to signaling and positioning but did not engage in active combat. At the start of the conflict, India deployed its naval aircraft carrier INS Vikrant for four days in the Arabian Sea but later moved it back to its base in Karnataka. The Pakistan Navy undertook counter-deployments with an operational offensive-defensive posture. It dispersed its surface combatants, intensified maritime ISR, and moved its coastal missile units into a state of heightened readiness. However, there was no confrontation between the two navies during the crisis. 

However, a few weeks after the announcement of the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh visited INS Vikrant and issued a stern warning for Pakistan. He said, “If Pakistan tries anything nefarious again, the opening move might come from our Navy.” 

Since the May 2025 clashes, both states have actively invested in further strengthening the capabilities of their naval forces. Recently, the Indian Navy announced its plan to equip more frontline warships with BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles. The plan is to work toward a fleet-wide integration of the BrahMos weapon system by 2030. 

This development may also increase pressure on Pakistan to take both defensive and offensive measures to maintain naval parity in the region. 

Currently, the Indian Navy operates a diverse range of missiles for anti-ship and land-attack roles. This includes the BrahMos missile deployed across 20 major frontline combatant platforms, the Klub series deployed on Talwar-class frigates, Kh-35E Uran deployed on older systems, and French-made Exocet missiles and American Harpoon missiles on its diesel-electric submarines. However, the BrahMos system has proven its operational relevance for the Indian military after its combat use during the May 2025 crisis. Further integration of the BrahMos would provide India with an indigenous option that can help reduce its reliance on a diverse array of imported missile systems. 

In 2024, the Indian Cabinet Committee on Security approved the purchase of 220 Extended Range (ER) BrahMos missiles for naval ships. The ER-BrahMos has a range of 800 kilometers that can increase the operational space for Indian naval platforms against the Pakistan Navy and also engage coastal targets without getting very close to Pakistan. Moreover, the BrahMos is a supersonic missile with a speed of around Mach 3, reducing the time available for an adversary to detect, identify, and respond to the incoming missile. Also, the precision-strike capability of BrahMos provides a major advantage while targeting moving naval platforms. Because of its indigenous production, range, precision, and speed, the BrahMos has emerged as a major weapon for India and an ideal candidate for deployment across all its naval platforms. 

To achieve its target, the Indian Navy is equipping its older and smaller naval vessels with BrahMos launchers, as evidenced by its replacement of the P-15 Termit with four twin-tube BrahMos launchers on Veer-class corvettes, starting with INS Vidyut. The latest Indian warships including the Nigri-class stealth frigates – INS Udaygiri, INS Himgiri, and INS Mahendragiri –are equipped with eight vertically launched BrahMos........

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