India Signs ₹661.50-Crore Naval Contract With BrahMos Aerospace

The Indian Ministry of Defence signed a ₹661.50-crore contract on October 6, 2026, with BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited to procure Fire Control Systems and launchers for Indian Navy warships. The procurement aims to expand the naval fleet’s long-range supersonic strike architecture.

The agreement mandates a minimum of 68 percent indigenous content and encourages participation from Indian industries, including micro, small, and medium enterprises. The project will be executed over a three-year period to bolster national maritime security.

Contract Requires 68 Percent Domestic Content

The contract was inked in New Delhi in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh. The acquisition falls under the ‘Buy (Indian-IDDM)’ category, requiring products to be indigenously designed, developed, and manufactured with at least 50 percent domestic content on a cost basis, though this specific agreement exceeds that threshold at 68 percent.

The Defence Acquisition Council granted the Indian Navy Acceptance of Necessity approval for these systems in August 2025. The equipment covers shipborne hardware required to hold, target, and fire the supersonic cruise missiles from frontline vessels.

Launchers Will Equip Veer-Class and Ranvir-Class Warships

The newly ordered launchers and fire-control systems are designated for two Veer-class missile corvettes and two Ranvir-class destroyers. The Veer-class ships originally carried Soviet-era P-15 Termit missiles, while the Ranvir-class destroyers represent some of the Navy’s oldest frontline combatants.

INS Ranvir became the first Indian warship to execute a vertical BrahMos launch from a moving platform in 2008, followed by similar upgrades on INS Ranvijay. Approximately 20 naval warships currently operate the missile system, with plans to equip both newly commissioned combatants and older retrofitted vessels in upcoming years.

BrahMos Naval Variants Offer Vertical and Inclined Firing

BrahMos Aerospace manufactures two primary launcher variants for naval deployment. The Universal Vertical Launcher Module is installed below deck for vertical firing and stealth protection, while the Quadruple Canisterised Inclined Launcher enables angled firings of up to four missiles in single or salvo modes.

The Fire Control System processes targeting data from ship sensors, calculating parameters such as speed, trajectory, and environmental conditions like wind and gravity. The Ministry of Defence designates the BrahMos as the Navy’s primary surface-to-surface missile system for engaging sea and land targets at supersonic speeds.

The Navy is progressively arming more warships with BrahMos, its principal long-range anti-ship and land-attack weapon.

The New Indian Express