Vietnamese vehicles capable of carrying BrahMos have been revealed.

This source quotes Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as saying that in recent years, there has been much speculation about Vietnam negotiating with India to acquire this type of supersonic cruise missile from New Delhi.

Besides, many other Southeast Asian countries also have similar aspirations to Vietnam, such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.

Several discussions have also taken place between India and South American countries such as Peru and Chile, indicating the enormous export potential of this Indian-developed missile.

BrahMos missile

So, if Vietnam officially purchases it, which version of the BrahMos will be chosen? According to the manufacturer, the BrahMos is currently being developed in three versions: shore-to-ship, submarine-to-ship, and air-to-ship.

Vietnam could purchase all of these versions, but it does not yet have the capability or need to purchase the ship-to-ship version because currently, no Vietnamese warship can carry it, as the BrahMos has an excessively heavy launch weight of nearly 3 tons.

Currently, Vietnam's Su-30MK2 fighter jet has similar capabilities to the Su-30MKI, allowing it to be equipped with Kh-31, Kh-35, and BrahMos-M missiles. Additionally, MiG aircraft like the MiG-29 can also integrate BrahMos and Kh-35 missiles. This could also influence Vietnam's purchasing of fighter jets to replace the MiG-21.

The upgraded Kilo-class 636MV submarine is also a combat vessel capable of being equipped with BrahMos missiles instead of the Club-S 3M-54E anti-ship cruise missiles. Furthermore, purchasing only a limited number of 3M-54E missiles for submarines would be very expensive; buying BrahMos in bulk would certainly be cheaper.

In addition, Vietnam could also acquire the BrahMos mobile shore-based anti-ship missile system, as it shares the same technical and tactical standards as the K-300P Bastion-P (NATO: SSC-5) system using the P-800 Yakhont missile (the export version of the P-800 Onyx - the prototype of the BrahMos).

On the map, Vietnam's coastline is over 3,000km long, but currently, our military only possesses a limited number of K-300P Bastion systems, each with a coverage range of 600km. This is insufficient to cover the entire sea area of ​​Vietnam's continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.

Therefore, to protect our entire long coastline, fill in dead zones and fire intersections between systems, Vietnam needs to purchase more advanced coastal anti-ship defense systems. And a few more BrahMos coastal anti-ship missile systems could effectively "share the fire" with the K-300P Bastion-P.

Only the surface-launched variant is unlikely to be purchased by Vietnam because, with a weight nearly five times greater than the Kh-35E anti-ship missile (over 600kg) or nearly four times greater than the MM-40 Exocet on Gepard and Sigma warships, it can only be equipped on frigates and destroyers with a displacement several times greater than Vietnam's largest frigates.

Therefore, purchasing BrahMos missiles for surface ships is not feasible at this stage; it will only become possible when the Vietnamese navy possesses heavy frigates and destroyers. However, we can certainly purchase the other three versions to enhance the anti-ship defense capabilities of our air and naval forces.