BrahMos may be exported to select countries: report

India and Russia have 'in principle' agreed to export anti-ship cruise missile, BrahMos, to select countries, including the UAE, Vietnam, South Africa and Chile.

BrahMos, a short-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land, is considered the world's fastest cruise missile.

Reports say the government has made several structural changes in the defence export policy to enable the government export the world's BrahMos to friendly countries that are not inimical to India or Russia.

''As far as the BrahMos missile is concerned, talks with countries like UAE, Chile, South Africa and Vietnam are in advanced stages,'' a report in the Financial Express quoted government sources as saying.

''Since Russia is the partner country in the BrahMos joint venture with its consent discussions with several other countries, including Philippines, South Korea, Algeria, Greece, Malaysia, Thailand, Egypt, Singapore, Venezuela and Bulgaria have now been taken to the next level,'' the report quoted.

''BrahMos Aerospace is expected to ink the deal with UAE by the year end as both India and Russia have good relations with the country and there is conflict of interest there, hence there will no problems in exporting the missile to that country.''

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar will be visiting Vietnam soon, and a deal for exporting BrahMos to that country o-could be finalized by the year-end.

However, China has expressed reservations against India's policies to supply weapons to the ASEAN member country that is locked in a locked in a conflict over maritime boundaries with China over the South China Sea.

''We expect that those friendly nations with whom neither India nor Russia have any conflict would be keen on buying these missiles,'' the source added.

Meanwhile, BrahMos will soon be tested on Russian Su-30 Flanker C multi-role fighter aircraft for which the ground tests are already done.