India’s PM Winds Up Visit to Indonesia, Hails ‘New Avenues’ For Cooperation
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- Modi concluded a three-day Indonesia visit — his first since 2023 — as part of a three-nation regional tour that continues in Australia and New Zealand, with President Prabowo Subianto personally dropping him off at the airport.
- India and Indonesia signed 14 agreements covering critical minerals, maritime security, defense, agriculture, AI, and digital innovation, building on the 2018 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership signed under President Joko Widodo.
- BrahMos Aerospace, an Indo-Russian joint venture, signed a contract with Indonesia's Ministry of Defense for BrahMos cruise missiles reportedly worth around $630 million, per Reuters citing Indian sources; the deal reportedly includes one battery with launchers, radars, and missiles.
- Bharat Dynamics signed a separate agreement with Indonesia's Republikorp for Astra air-to-air missiles, marking the first export deal for the Astra system; BrahMos has previously been purchased by the Philippines and Vietnam.
- Prabowo accompanied Modi to the Prambanan Temple complex in Yogyakarta to inaugurate a joint UNESCO World Heritage conservation project.
- Indonesia's interest in BrahMos dates to at least 2018, with the Ministry of Defense announcing in March that the procurement had been finalized — a move consistent with Jakarta's stated desire to avoid overdependence on either the U.S. or China for defense procurement.
Why it matters: The reported $630 million BrahMos sale, combined with the first-ever export of Bharat Dynamics' Astra missile, signals India is converting its 'Act East' rhetoric into concrete defense industrial ties. For Indonesia, the deals diversify procurement away from sole reliance on U.S. or Chinese suppliers; for India, they validate New Delhi as a viable defense exporter competing in a market long dominated by the two superpowers.
