Can India's BrahMos and Chinese CM-302 anti-ship missiles work together? Indonesia says YES!

Indonesia is reportedly on the verge of an incredible compilation of supersonic missile firepower as they plan to acquire BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles from India and the CM-302 export variant of the YJ-12 anti-ship missiles from China. The two systems are widely considered direct rival models, and Jakarta is set to go ahead with an ambitious plan to build a foolproof maritime defence setup involving both!

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The Indonesian government is yet to give an official go-ahead for the plan to get both BrahMos and YJ-12 cruise missiles, but multiple sources have been reporting that the archipelago has almost approved the plan to build a multi-layered and multi-domain maritime strike network incorporating the two systems. 

 

Project ‘Missile Umbrella’

 

The primary objective is to equip pivotal regions of Sunda, Lombok, and Makassar Straits with both attack and air defence capabilities. Indonesia wants its naval units capable of dealing with incursions of any degree at these regions and, if possible, create critical kill zones at varying distances with layered strike options, the reports added. In case of an adversary, BrahMos missiles would be used by Jakarta to target faraway, larger targets even before they can enter Indonesian waters, while CM-302 could take out smaller, enemy units if they have already breached the initial perimeters. While the former would guard the outer perimeters, the latter should work as an inner shield, the country reportedly calculates.

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Indonesia calls the Indo-Chinese combo its "missile umbrella", which could offer its scattered islands a sense of collective protection, Defence Security Asia said in a report. According to the report, Jakarta was impressed by the BrahMos system’s accuracy and kinetic speed, noting that the time-tested and renowned Russian technology behind its development further enhanced its credibility. Given Indonesia’s complex archipelagic geography, BrahMos's capability to steep-dive to target vessels using islands for cover could be a crucial advantage. The Chinese YJ-12, meanwhile, is known for being more affordable and comes with a track record of credible performance proven in export markets.

 

While Indonesia has been rumoured to be impressed by the BrahMos for some time now, the report claims that it is only a matter of time before the two countries make it official with a USD 450 million package, with a focus on mobile autonomous launchers and coastal defence batteries. The "missile umbrella" is also being considered as a diplomatic masterstroke by the Southeast Asian nation to please the two rival power blocs at the same time.

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Moreover, deploying both Indian and Chinese systems could serve as a diplomatic balancing act, allowing Indonesia to maintain defence cooperation with two rival power blocs while asserting its strategic autonomy.

 

What are Chinese YJ-12 missiles?

 

CM-302 is the export variant anti-ship missile of the YJ-12 cruise missile. Developed by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), its maximum range is said to be 290 km and can be launched from air, ship, or land. Marketed internationally, Pakistan is said to be among the potential operators of the system.

Defence