India has the technological capability to manufacture the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile entirely within the country, according to former BrahMos Aerospace chief Dr Sudhir Kumar Mishra, WION reported.

Speaking to WION's Defence Pulse, he stated that the missile programme has already achieved around 80-85 per cent indigenisation and possesses the capability to reach complete domestic production.

Dr Mishra said India could replace Russian-supplied components with competitively priced indigenous alternatives. However, he stressed that the Indo-Russian joint venture must continue to provide business opportunities for both partners. As he noted, “If you don't give any business to your partner, then it's a bad partnership.”

Discussing the next-generation BrahMos-NG missile, Dr Mishra highlighted its potential to equip a wider range of military platforms. He said the lighter and more compact missile could eventually enable the TEJAS light combat aircraft to carry two BrahMos-NG missiles, while future Indian fighter aircraft may be capable of carrying as many as four.

According to Dr Mishra, integrating BrahMos-NG with TEJAS could be technically achievable within four to five years because India has full control over the aircraft’s design architecture and software systems.

He added that naval, land-based and air-launched variants of the missile could be developed simultaneously, although final decisions would rest with BrahMos Aerospace, DRDO and the Government of India.

Dr Mishra also outlined the scope for major performance improvements in existing BrahMos variants. He said their range could potentially double or even triple, depending on the launch platform.

Advances in miniaturisation, increased fuel capacity, improved seekers and enhanced electronic countermeasure systems could all contribute to extending the missile’s operational reach and effectiveness.

Looking further ahead, he pointed to India’s growing expertise in scramjet propulsion as a pathway towards a future hypersonic BrahMos missile. Referring to a successful scramjet engine test that sustained operation for approximately ten minutes, he described the achievement as a significant milestone towards the development of missiles capable of speeds between Mach 7 and Mach 10.

He emphasised that sustaining propulsion at hypersonic speeds remains one of the most demanding technological challenges in missile development.

The comments align with broader Indian efforts to advance indigenous hypersonic technologies, including ongoing research into scramjet-powered systems and long-range strike capabilities. Such technologies are expected to play a crucial role in the evolution of future precision-strike weapons.

On exports, Dr Mishra predicted that India could secure seven to eight BrahMos contracts with different countries over the next five years. He cited increasing interest from nations in West Asia, Africa and South America, in addition to continuing demand from Southeast Asia, where the missile has already attracted considerable attention.

While India has demonstrated the ability to customise BrahMos systems for a wide range of military platforms, Dr Mishra identified manufacturing capacity as the key challenge ahead. “The issue is to enhance the production capability,” he said, emphasising the need to expand output to meet both domestic military requirements and anticipated export demand.

His remarks come as BrahMos Aerospace continues to strengthen its manufacturing ecosystem to support future orders.

The next phase of the missile’s development is expected to focus on increasing production capacity, advancing new missile variants, expanding export opportunities and maintaining the strategic industrial partnership between India and Russia.

Agencies