New Delhi, October 17: India has offered to supply its indigenously developed Akash surface-to-air missile system to Brazil, as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held wide-ranging talks with Brazilian Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin in New Delhi on Wednesday, officials said.
The two leaders “identified priority areas” for cooperation in defence production and technology, including co-development and co-production of military equipment, India’s defence ministry said in a statement. Brazil’s Defence Minister José Múcio Monteiro Filho also attended the discussions, which focused on expanding strategic and industrial defence ties between the two nations.
People familiar with the matter said India used the meeting to formally pitch the Akash missile system, a medium-range, mobile air defence weapon designed to target aircraft and drones. The offer forms part of India’s broader drive to boost defence exports and promote its ‘Make in India’ initiative in global markets.
“Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to advancing defence cooperation, with a focus on military-to-military exchanges, including joint exercises and training visits,” the statement said.
India and Brazil, which share a strategic partnership and cooperate closely in multilateral forums such as BRICS, are seeking to deepen collaboration in defence manufacturing and technology sharing.
The two sides also reviewed progress on existing initiatives and discussed mechanisms to enhance industrial linkages between Indian and Brazilian defence firms, the ministry added.
The Akash system, developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has been deployed by the Indian Air Force and Army and is among the key platforms New Delhi aims to export under its defence diplomacy strategy.
