Navy pushes fleet-wide BrahMos integration, eyes near-universal deployment by 2030
The Indian Navy is accelerating its drive to equip a larger number of frontline warships with the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, with the service working
The Indian Navy is accelerating its drive to equip a larger number of frontline warships with the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, with the service working towards a fleet-wide integration of the weapon over the coming years, sources told India Today. The push has gained further momentum after BrahMos demonstrated its operational relevance during Operation Sindoor, where the missile emerged as one of the key strike systems used by the Indian armed forces. Read Full Story According to sources, more than six BrahMos-capable warships have been added to the Navy’s fleet in the past year, taking the number of frontline Indian naval ships equipped with the missile system to around 20. "All new ships being commissioned into the Navy are equipped with BrahMos missile systems, while conversions are also being undertaken on existing ships to equip them with the missile.
BrahMos has proven its capabilities in operations," a source privy to the matter said. The latest generation of Indian warships is increasingly being designed around the BrahMos capability. The Nilgiri-class stealth frigates, including INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri, Mahendragiri carry eight vertically launched BrahMos missiles. The Navy’s BrahMos expansion is also backed by a major procurement programme. In February 2024, the Cabinet Committee on Security cleared the acquisition of more than 220 BrahMos Extended Range missiles for deployment on Indian Navy warships. The acquisition was followed in 2025 by approval for additional BrahMos fire-control systems and vertical launchers for Navy warships, aimed at expanding the missile’s presence across the fleet. The BrahMos programme has also evolved significantly in terms of range and platform compatibility. Extended-range variants are being developed to provide greater stand-off capability, while the missile has already been integrated across land, sea and air-launched configurations.
The Navy’s long-term objective is to progressively replace older ship-launched anti-surface missile systems with BrahMos. According to sources, the Navy is moving ahead with a plan to have Brahmos missiles integrated into all the warships in the next four years. By the end of 2030, it is expected that the Navy will have over 200 ships ready to fire the Brahmos missiles. The Indian Navy is moving towards its goal of equipping all its warships with Brahmos. With the Navy simultaneously expanding its warship fleet and retrofitting existing platforms, the BrahMos footprint is expected to grow sharply by the end of the decade. Sources further indicate that the service is working towards having BrahMos available on virtually all major surface combatants by 2030, significantly strengthening India’s long-range maritime strike capability.
The BriefWire