India‑UAE Negotiations May Bring BrahMos Cruise Missile to Emirati Arsenal

BrahMos missile during the rehearses for the Republic Day Parade 2023 at the Kartavya Path on January 20, 2023 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Raj K Raj/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

Hindustan Times via Getty Images

India’s government is reportedly engaged in negotiations with the United Arab Emirates regarding a potential sale of the supersonic BrahMos cruise missile, jointly developed with Russia. Such an acquisition would augment Abu Dhabi’s already extensive and diversified portfolio of standoff weapons.

According to a Reuters report dated June 22, India is considering the export of both the BrahMos missile and its domestically developed Akashteer air‑defense system to the UAE.

During the U.S.–Israeli conflict with Iran, which began on February 28 and concluded with a tentative ceasefire on April 8, the UAE Air Force conducted strikes within Iran and against several Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf. Leveraging U.S. and Israeli intelligence, the UAE targeted Abu Musa and Qeshm islands, the Lavan Island oil refinery, the Bandar Abbas port, and the Asaluyeh petrochemical complex, as reported on May 29 by The Wall Street Journal.

It is probable that UAE Air Force fighter jets employed standoff munitions to mitigate the risk of losing pilots and aircraft to Iranian surface‑to‑air missiles. Despite its modest size, the UAE maintains a sizable and technologically sophisticated air force. The core of its fleet consists of the distinctive F‑16E/F Block 60 “Desert Falcon,” customized for local needs, complemented by more than 40 advanced Dassault Mirage 2000‑9 multirole aircraft.

UAE F‑16s can deploy a variety of precision‑guided munitions for tactical air‑to‑ground missions, including the Joint Direct Attack Munition, Paveway series bombs, and the GBU‑39 small‑diameter bomb, which offers a standoff range of approximately 46 miles. Mirage aircraft employ longer‑range air‑to‑surface missiles such as the Black Shaheen‑variant of the Storm Shadow cruise missile for deep‑strike operations. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s arms‑transfer database, the Black Shaheen’s effective range is capped below 186 miles to comply with the Missile Technology Control Regime’s payload and range recommendations.

Both UAE F‑16s and Mirage jets are capable of carrying the Al Tariq modular guidance kit for Mk 81, Mk 82, and Mk 83 bombs, a South African Denel Dynamics product produced under licence. Edge Group, the UAE’s defense conglomerate, states that the extended‑range Al Tariq variant can precisely strike stationary, moving, or relocatable targets in GPS‑denied environments up to 75 miles away. Additionally, the 80 ordered Dassault Rafale F4 fighters will be equipped with these indigenously produced guided munitions.

Not all of the UAE’s long‑range strike capabilities are delivered by fighter aircraft. Moreover, without extensive modification, it is unlikely that UAE F‑16s, Mirage jets, or Rafales will be fitted to launch Indian‑origin BrahMos missiles. India’s premier standoff cruise missile is available in multiple launch configurations, including ship‑borne, submarine‑launched, aircraft‑borne, and mobile land‑based platforms. It is probable that the UAE would select the land‑based, surface‑to‑surface variant rather than an air‑to‑surface version, thereby further expanding its existing stockpile of surface‑to‑surface standoff weapons.

From the United States, the UAE has procured a range of long‑range rocket systems, including the M57 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), the M142 High‑Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), and the M31A1 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GLMRS). In the late 1980s, Abu Dhabi also acquired Scud‑B ballistic missiles from North Korea, which can reach targets up to 185 miles away, though with modest accuracy. The addition of the BrahMos would undoubtedly augment this surface‑to‑surface arsenal and reinforce the UAE’s strategy of diversifying its advanced military capabilities.

The growing security ties between the UAE and Israel, formalised under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020, have been further strengthened by Israel’s deployment of Iron Dome air‑defence systems and troops on Emirati territory. Israel has developed several air‑launched ballistic missiles suitable for integration with fighter jets and has employed them in operations against targets in Syria, Iran, and a contentious strike that targeted Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar’s capital. The UAE Air Force could readily employ such systems, which outperform the Black Shaheen in speed, although they may be subject to similar Missile Technology Control Regime range constraints; exported variants such as the Rampage comply with these limits. Whether any exceptions might be made for an Arab partner remains uncertain.

‘The UAE may be interested in acquiring the type of long‑range joint standoff weapons that Israel employed against Doha and Iranian targets,’ Ryan Bohl, a senior Middle East and North Africa analyst at the risk‑intelligence firm RANE, told me. ‘However, such procurement would probably be limited, and the UAE would likely seek these systems for precision strikes on high‑value targets — including key leadership figures, specific military installations, or infrastructure linked to threats against the UAE itself.’

Insights gained from the Iran conflict could shape future Emirati military procurement decisions, beyond the country’s long‑standing policy of diversifying its defence portfolio — an objective that this prospective Indian collaboration would reinforce.

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