India in talks to sell BrahMos missile, Akashteer to UAE

India is in talks with the United Arab Emirates to sell two of its flagship defense systems, the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile and the Akashteer air-defense network, a package that would mark a significant step in New Delhi’s push to turn its weapons industry into geopolitical leverage. The discussions are still early, but Indian officials say they are moving quickly as the Gulf state looks for new suppliers after the war in the Middle East sharpened regional concerns about air and missile threats.

A BrahMos sale would be the most consequential part of the package. BrahMos Aerospace says the missile flies at about Mach 2.8 and has a range of 290 kilometers, with launch options from submarines, ships, aircraft and land platforms. That makes it one of the fastest cruise missiles in service and a weapon that can reach beyond a battlefield, into the wider regional balance across the Arabian Sea and the Gulf. Akashteer would add a different layer of capability. Bharat Electronics Limited describes it as part of Army air-defense command and control, with a control-and-reporting system designed to help optimize available weapons against hostile targets.

For Abu Dhabi, the interest reflects a broader effort to diversify procurement after heavy attacks from Iran during the conflict and to improve its ability to respond to emerging threats. For India, the talks underscore how far its defense industry has come. Government figures show defense exports hit a record Rs 23,622 crore in FY 2024-25, up from Rs 21,083 crore the year before, and New Delhi has set a target of Rs 50,000 crore by 2029. A sale to the UAE would strengthen that campaign while signaling that India wants to be seen not just as a buyer of foreign technology, but as a supplier with real strategic weight.

The prospective deal would also build on a relationship that has deepened for years. India and the UAE established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2015, and the two sides held their 13th Joint Defence Cooperation Committee meeting at secretary level in New Delhi on July 30, 2025. India already has export experience with BrahMos: it signed a $375 million deal with the Philippines in January 2022, started deliveries in 2024 and continued subsequent batches in 2025. That precedent matters in the Gulf, where a BrahMos sale would not only widen India’s defense footprint, but also place a homegrown missile system inside one of the region’s most closely watched security relationships.