India opens new BrahMos missile plant amid growing export demand and regional tensions

India’s latest BrahMos missile production facility marks a strategic milestone in its decades-long push for defence self-reliance and increased arms exports, though analysts say it is more a symbol of industrial ambition than a game-changer for the country’s military posture.

The 3 billion rupee (US$36 million) plant in Uttar Pradesh’s capital Lucknow, inaugurated virtually on Saturday by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, will produce between 80 and 100 supersonic cruise missiles a year.

Launched in 2021, the facility is part of the Defence Industrial Corridor unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 2018 Global Investors’ Summit to boost domestic arms production and attract private investment under the government’s “Make in India” and “Atmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India) programmes.

Singh lauded the BrahMos as among the fastest supersonic cruise missiles in the world and framed its expansion as part of India’s national security strategy.

“This is not just a weapon; it is a message in itself – a message of the strength of our armed forces, a message of deterrence to our adversaries, and a message of our unwavering commitment to safeguarding our borders,” Singh said, alluding to Pakistan and China without naming them.