(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — India is widely known to have strained relations with Turkey, a situation that could deteriorate further if New Delhi’s proposal to sell the BrahMos cruise missiles to Greece materializes.
Over recent years, India has escalated its arms shipments to Armenia, while Turkey has been a significant military backer of Azerbaijan, enabling Baku to reclaim the Nagorno-Karabakh region from Yerevan.
Moreover, Turkey maintains a close military relationship with Pakistan, which employs Turkish-made drones within its armed forces including to monitor to disputed borders of both countries.
India’s marketing of the BrahMos missiles to Greece follows efforts by both nations to deepen their defense and security ties, highlighted by Indian President Narendra Modi’s visit to Greece last year.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reciprocated with a visit to New Delhi in February.
Recently, General Dimitrios Choupis, the Commander of the Greek Armed Forces, visited New Delhi at the invitation of his counterpart, General Anil Chauhan, where they discussed further defense cooperation.
Calls are growing among Greek defense experts for the government to acquire strategic weaponry from India, specifically referring to the BrahMos cruise missiles, a joint development between Indian and Russian firms.
They argue that deploying the BrahMos missiles in the Aegean, Crete, and Cyprus would bolster Greece’s defense capabilities.
A report in the Greek newspaper, “Greece City Times,” suggests that equipping the Eastern Aegean islands—claimed by Turkey—with BrahMos missiles, along with their deployment along the Asian coast, would significantly reduce the reaction time of Turkish naval radars, especially during saturation strikes from Greek BrahMos missiles.
Greek defense experts assert that operating the BrahMos missile system in the Eastern Aegean islands would effectively “block access” to Turkish naval vessels in the contested waters.
They also claim that the BrahMos system is cost-effective compared to other systems, with each missile estimated to cost US$3.5 million.
Greek defense and security experts recommend that their government acquire approximately 150 BrahMos cruise missiles from India to safeguard the nation’s waters and islands against Turkish threats.
The BrahMos missile system is a collaboration between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM).
The anti-ship variant of the BrahMos missile has an effective range of about 300 kilometers with a supersonic speed of Mach 2.8 and carries approximately 200 kilograms of high-explosive payload.
The BrahMos is a medium-range cruise missile that employs ramjet technology and can be launched from various platforms including air, ship, submarine, and coastal areas.
Greece may follow in the footsteps of the Philippines to become the first nation outside India to deploy the Indo-Russian joint missile system.
Manila plans to position BrahMos in several strategic locations within its Exclusive Economic Zone in the West Philippine Sea, to deter any potential aggressive actions by China.
The presence of the BrahMos missiles would compel Chinese coast guard vessels to “think twice” before approaching any Philippine island or reef within the zone. — DSA