India has moved to broaden its defense trade footprint in Central Asia, confirming agreements to supply its domestically built Akash short-range air defense missile system to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. The deals mark New Delhi’s clearest step yet into a region whose military procurement has historically run almost entirely through Moscow.
Indian Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh confirmed the sales this month, though neither government has disclosed contract values. The Akash system is designed to track and engage multiple aerial threats simultaneously within a 25-kilometer range and carries built-in electronic countermeasures meant to resist jamming, features that have made it an increasingly attractive option for militaries looking to modernize air defenses without the price tag of Western-built systems.
The timing reflects a broader shift underway across Central Asian defense planning. With Russia’s arms industry stretched thin by the demands of its war in Ukraine, governments in the region have been quietly diversifying away from near-total reliance on Russian hardware. That opening has given alternative suppliers, India among them, room to compete for contracts that would once have gone to Moscow almost by default.
India’s defense exporters have leaned into the moment. Shipments abroad climbed 62% over the past year to roughly $4.1 billion, part of a wider strategy to position India as a credible supplier even as China expands its own military and training partnerships across the same Central Asian markets.
Confidence in the Akash system traces back largely to Armenia, which became its first international buyer in 2022 and has since grown into India's largest defense export customer, with contracts totaling close to $2 billion signed since 2020. The system also saw combat use during last year's brief but intense four-day conflict between India and Pakistan, giving New Delhi an operational track record to point to in talks with prospective buyers.
Beyond air defense, India has been building out a wider export catalogue anchored by its BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, already sold to the Philippines and Vietnam, with discussions reportedly underway with Indonesia. Taken together, the Central Asian deals suggest India is positioning itself not just as a regional power but as a serious alternative arms supplier at a moment when traditional buyers are actively looking beyond Moscow and Beijing.
