Indian media has shared an animation for its BrahMos supersonic anti-ship missile, including the missile being ‘used’ by Greece against Turkiye. Indian media’s video shows the anti-ship missile targeting the Blue Homeland Doctrine and the Northern Turkish Republic of Cyprus (TRNC). BrahMos is a joint project between the Russian ramjet-powered anti-ship missile P-800 Onyx/Yakhont and the developer of the original missile. Different missile versions have been developed, including land-based, submarine-launched, and, recently, air-launched BrahMos-A. Since the NATO-standard warships and submarines of Greece aren’t structurally compatible with the large-sized missile, Greece can only acquire these missiles by purchasing the land-based version for the time being. In addition to “How?” one should ask “Why?”.
To see the motives behind India’s intention to provide Greece with BrahMos anti-ship missiles, mutual partners of Greece and India should also be inspected. Two such partners have recently drawn the most attention: France and Armenia.
France is widely known for having provided major arms like fighter jets and warships to Greece for decades. The most recent major sales are Rafale fighter jets and FDI-HN frigates. France is also a dedicated supporter of Greece in the political arena.
India’s case is similar to the difference of a more joint approach in the defence industry, especially since the 2000s when India established its industry.
Armenia joined the bloc shortly after Azerbaijan’s victory in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. India started to provide arms such as MLRS and Akash medium-range air defence missiles. Turkish defence equipment and military training, such as the TURAZ Şahini exercise, played a significant role in Azerbaijan’s victory.
Greece and France have made agreements on military cooperation with Armenia, the latter stating plans to provide new equipment as well.
Another thing these countries have in common is their stance against Turkiye. While India is further from Turkiye than the others, Turkiye’s close cooperation with Pakistan can be given as a plausible reason.
This bloc previously included the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. However, the recent normalisation between Turkiye and the three Middle Eastern countries has caused them to move towards cooperation, as observed from the trade and defence agreements.
With everything summed up, the video serves as more than a declaration of Indian interest in providing the BrahMos missile to Greece; it is also a declaration of Indian stance alongside Greece, Greek Cyprus, France, and Armenia against Turkiye and its regional allies.
