South African Navy Chief Shows Strong Interest in BrahMos Missile System

Tshwane, South Africa – Vice Admiral Monde Lobese, Chief of the South African Navy, recently visited the BrahMos pavilion at the Africa Aerospace and Defence Exhibition (AAD) held at Air Force Base Waterkloof, Tshwane.

During his visit, Vice Admiral Lobese expressed significant interest in the BrahMos Weapon System, a highly versatile supersonic cruise missile known for its impressive range and speed.

The BrahMos Aerospace team provided a comprehensive briefing to the South African Navy chief, highlighting the missile system's capabilities and its successful track record. They detailed the BrahMos's key milestones and advancements, showcasing its adaptability for various platforms, including ships, submarines, and aircraft.

This visit from Vice Admiral Lobese signals a growing international interest in the BrahMos missile system, particularly among naval forces. The BrahMos has garnered a reputation for its precision strike capabilities, reliability, and extended range, making it an attractive solution for countries seeking to enhance their defence capabilities.

The BrahMos is a joint venture between India's DRDO and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyeniya. It is named after the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers and is considered one of the fastest supersonic cruise missiles in the world.

The missile system has been successfully inducted into the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. With its demonstrated capabilities and growing international attention, the BrahMos is poised to remain a key player in the global defence arena.

 

[Santosh]

India should not waste her time trying to entice South Africa to buy the Brahmos.
The latter has no money to pay her teachers let alone to buy armaments

 

[Anant]

They can show all the interest in the world, but the fact remains that even if South Africa did genuinely want the BrahMos, they can't afford them.

As it is, their Navy is in shambles. 3 out of their 4 frigates are non-operational and awaiting repairs. The 4th frigate planned to enter refit this year but won't due to lack of funds. Only 1 out of 3 submarines is operational, with a second boat stuck on refit due to lack of funds and the third preparing to enter a refit without funding being available. They have 3 decent OPVs in active service plus a geriatric OPV floating around, with a bunch of IPVs and harbour launches in various states. The 2 MCMVs have been non-operational since 2016 or so. The sole replenishment ship is fully operational, and ironically doesn't have any ships to replenish fuel stocks of. The sole survey ship is also operational, though she is an extremely old ship, and a replacement under construction is delayed, due to, and you probably guessed it, lack of funding.

Yeah... The South African Navy has a dozen or so things they need to fix before they can think of getting the BrahMos. That is, of course, if they want a sea-going, or even littoral, Navy.

 

[Kira]

They can show all the interest in the world, but the fact remains that even if South Africa did genuinely want the BrahMos, they can't afford them.

As it is, their Navy is in shambles. 3 out of their 4 frigates are non-operational and awaiting repairs. The 4th frigate planned to enter refit this year but won't due to lack of funds. Only 1 out of 3 submarines is operational, with a second boat stuck on refit due to lack of funds and the third preparing to enter a refit without funding being available. They have 3 decent OPVs in active service plus a geriatric OPV floating around, with a bunch of IPVs and harbour launches in various states. The 2 MCMVs have been non-operational since 2016 or so. The sole replenishment ship is fully operational, and ironically doesn't have any ships to replenish fuel stocks of. The sole survey ship is also operational, though she is an extremely old ship, and a replacement under construction is delayed, due to, and you probably guessed it, lack of funding.

Yeah... The South African Navy has a dozen or so things they need to fix before they can think of getting the BrahMos. That is, of course, if they want a sea-going, or even littoral, Navy.

I believe they can still induct the land based variant of the Brahmos like the PH,and threaten the Great white sharks around the cape of Good Hope 😂