India's Akash surface-to-air missiles slated for export to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan
India announced that its domestically produced Akash medium-range surface-to-air missile system has been sold to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, adding to earlier deliveries to Armenia.
In early October, Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh highlighted the indigenously designed Akash medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile as a success story, citing Armenia as the initial client and recent contracts with Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Official statements from the Defence Research and Development Organization and the Ministry of Defense verified that the two Central Asian nations are now on the Akash buyer list, despite the lack of public remarks from either country.
These transactions represent India's first defense sales to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, expanding a market long dominated by Russian, Chinese, Turkish and Western systems. Armenia's $720 million agreement with Bharat Dynamics Limited provides a scale reference for the Akash programme. Analysts observe that while a single missile system will not dramatically alter the regional balance, it signals Central Asian states' intent to diversify suppliers beyond Russia, raising potential interoperability challenges.
Why it matters
The sales show India's growing defence export market and Central Asia's shift away from sole reliance on Russian arms.
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