Sri Lanka, July 29 -- Indonesia has moved to become the first overseas customer for India's Astra Mk-1 air-to-air missile after Bharat Dynamics Limited and Indonesia's Republikorp signed an "Air-to-Air Missile Cooperation Agreement" in Jakarta.

The pact arrived alongside a separate BrahMos contract, giving New Delhi one of its most important defense export wins in Southeast Asia.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the visit "a golden new chapter," but the headline is only half the story. The real measure of success will be whether India can integrate Astra into Indonesia's Russian-built Sukhoi fleet, support it for years, and keep unconfirmed Rafale possibilities from being reported as settled fact.

The official outcome list na...