India sells air defense missiles to Tajikistan, Turkmenistan in Central Asia push

NEW DELHI — India has sold its homegrown, short-range surface-to-air missile system called Akash, to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan gaining a foothold in Central Asia as it seeks to expand its defense exports.

Analysts say these countries are turning to India to reduce their reliance on Russia, one of the region’s main arms suppliers, whose defense resources are strained by its war with Ukraine.

“They are looking for a way to diversify at a time when Russia is no longer active in defense markets as it increasingly looks inwards towards its domestic needs, reducing its capacity to export air defense systems, especially in large numbers,” Aleksei Zakharov, a fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi told Defense News. “As a result, Central Asian countries are looking for possible alternatives.”

Indian Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh confirmed the sales of the Akash surface-to-air missile system to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan earlier this month in an interview with news agency Asian New International. He did not disclose the contract value.

In 2022, Armenia became India’s first foreign customer for the air defense system.

The Akash system can simultaneously engage multiple targets at ranges up to 25km according to the Defense Ministry. It also incorporates protections against electronic jamming.

Calling the system one of India’s “success stories,” Singh said: “It shows the maturing of our indigenous missile design and production system. It is effective in dealing with high-velocity aerial targets.”

Indian defense officials have said it was used effectively by the armed forces during the country’s four-day conflict with Pakistan in 2025.

Confidence in the missile system got a boost after it was “battle-tested” in a real conflict, according to Zakharov and could encourage Central Asian buyers to consider other Indian hardware, such as artillery and radar systems, as growing geopolitical uncertainty prompts countries to broaden their supplier base.

“Certainly this can be an important first step for India’s entry into the defense markets of Central Asia. For those countries, it is also about reducing dependency on any one single source which can be useful if there are disruptions,” he said. “The Indian systems such as Akash are also cost-effective.”

In fact, Armenia has emerged as India’s largest buyer of military equipment, signing defense contracts worth nearly $2 billion since 2020, according to reports. Its purchases include multiple-launch rocket systems, counter-drone systems and anti-tank missiles.

Analysts say India’s outreach in Central Asia also aims to balance China’s growing influence in the region where Beijing has emerged as a major supplier of military equipment in recent years.

India, which has been a major arms importer for decades has been gradually developing its own defense industry and boosting exports, which rose about 62 per cent in the last financial year to $4.1 billion. Indian companies export missiles, drones, armored vehicles, ammunition and aircraft components to more than 80 countries.

Its most high-profile export is the BrahMos, a supersonic cruise missile developed jointly with Russia. India has won customers in Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines, where it is delivering a shore-based, anti-ship system. New Delhi has also signed a deal with Vietnam, and discussions are underway with Indonesia to supply the missiles.

“BrahMos is a kind of benchmark for our emerging export story. This is one of the high-end strategic systems that we’ve been able to export,” he said.

新德里——印度已向塔吉克斯坦和土库曼斯坦出售了其自主研发的短程地对空导弹系统“阿卡什”，在寻求扩大国防出口之际，印度在中亚地区站稳了脚跟。

分析人士表示，这些国家正在转向印度，以减少对俄罗斯的依赖。俄罗斯是该地区的主要武器供应国之一，但由于与乌克兰的战争，其国防资源捉襟见肘。

“俄罗斯如今不再活跃于国防市场，而是日益关注国内需求，这削弱了其出口防空系统的能力，尤其是大规模出口能力，”新德里观察家研究基金会研究员阿列克谢·扎哈罗夫告诉《防务新闻》。“因此，中亚国家正在寻找可能的替代方案。”

印度国防部长拉杰什·库马尔·辛格本月初在接受亚洲新闻国际通讯社采访时证实，已向塔吉克斯坦和土库曼斯坦出售了“阿卡什”地对空导弹系统。但他没有透露合同金额。

2022年，亚美尼亚成为印度防空系统的第一个外国客户。

据国防部称，“阿卡什”系统能够同时攻击25公里范围内的多个目标，并具备抗电子干扰能力。

辛格称该系统是印度的“成功案例”之一，并表示：“这表明我们自主研发的导弹设计和生产系统日趋成熟。它能有效应对高速空中目标。”

印度国防官员表示，在2025年印度与巴基斯坦发生的为期四天的冲突中，武装部队有效地使用了它。

扎哈罗夫表示，该导弹系统在真正的冲突中经受了“实战检验”，增强了人们对它的信心，这可能会鼓励中亚买家考虑其他印度硬件，如火炮和雷达系统，因为日益增长的地缘政治不确定性促使各国扩大其供应商基础。

“这无疑是印度进军中亚国防市场的重要一步。对这些国家而言，这也有助于减少对单一来源的依赖，这在出现供应中断时尤为重要，”他说道。“印度的‘阿卡什’系统等也具有成本效益。”

事实上，据报道，亚美尼亚已成为印度最大的军事装备买家，自2020年以来签署的国防合同价值近20亿美元。其采购的装备包括多管火箭炮系统、反无人机系统和反坦克导弹。

分析人士表示，印度在中亚的拓展活动也旨在平衡中国在该地区日益增长的影响力，近年来北京已成为该地区的主要军事装备供应国。

印度几十年来一直是主要的武器进口国，近年来一直在逐步发展自己的国防工业并促进出口，上个财政年度出口额增长了约62%，达到41亿美元。印度公司向80多个国家出口导弹、无人机、装甲车、弹药和飞机零部件。

印度最引人注目的出口产品是布拉莫斯超音速巡航导弹，该导弹是印度与俄罗斯联合研制的。印度已在菲律宾等东南亚国家赢得了客户，并向菲律宾交付岸基反舰系统。新德里还与越南签署了协议，目前正在与印度尼西亚就导弹供应进行磋商。

“布拉莫斯导弹是我们新兴出口战略的一个标杆。这是我们能够出口的高端战略导弹系统之一，”他说道。