India in $2bn Brahmos missile order - Ifax

MOSCOW (Reuters) - India has placed $2 billion of missile orders with Russian-Indian military joint venture Brahmos, the firm's managing director was quoted as saying by Russia's Interfax news agency on Tuesday.

Sivathanu Pillai, speaking in Moscow, said the total order book for the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile, including supplies to other countries, could reach $10 billion.

A senior defence official in India, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said the deal was part of a long-term agreement between Brahmos and the Indian military.

"We are looking to place more orders in future, but at the moment there is nothing new to share," he said.

The missile has a range of up to 290 km and can travel at speeds of up to 2.8 times the speed of sound, according to Interfax. Brahmos could not be reached for comment.

The joint Russian-Indian development of the Brahmos missile, named after India's Brahmaputra river and Russia's Moscow river, is part of growing military co-operation between the countries.

India, with the world's fourth largest military, plans to spend $30 billion on imports over the next four years to modernise its largely Soviet-era arms and assert its military power in South Asia.

An Indian defence spokesman said separately that India and Russia signed agreements on Tuesday to upgrade tanks and fighter jets India bought from Russia over the years.

To overhaul its inventory of ageing fighter aircraft, it wants to buy 126 new multi-role jets, with the $10 billion outlay likely to be spread over several years.