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By Saurabh Sharma and Aftab Ahmed

NEW DELHI, June 22 (Reuters) - The Indian government is in talks with the United Arab Emirates to sell some of its key defense systems, including the supersonic BrahMos missile, four Indian sources said, as the Gulf state ramps up arms purchases following the war in the Middle East.

Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that the discussions, which have not been previously disclosed, include a possible sale of India's Akashtir air defense system.

A third source familiar with the matter said, "The UAE has expressed interest in a number of Indian weapons systems, including BrahMos and Akashtir. Talks between India and the UAE are in their early stages and progressing rapidly."

Neither Indian officials nor the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to requests for comment.

India and Russia collaborated on the development of the BrahMos, one of the world's fastest cruise missiles, which can be launched from land, sea, and air platforms. Akashtir, on the other hand, is a fully automated air defense system developed by the Indian state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited in collaboration with the Indian Army.

The UAE is considering purchasing defense equipment from India and other sources after suffering a heavy Iranian attack during the war and to bolster its ability to counter emerging threats. It also needs to protect the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for its energy exports.

This year, the UAE signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korea to enhance defense cooperation worth more than $35 billion.

“Diversifying the supplier base gives the UAE more strategic independence, and closer ties with India help avoid antagonizing the United States, given that the two countries remain allies,” said Pearl Pandya, senior South Asia analyst at the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), a conflict monitoring organization.

Data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute indicates that the United States was the largest supplier of arms to the Middle East in the period from 2021 to 2025, accounting for 54 percent of imports, followed by Italy at 12 percent and France at 11 percent.

Before finalizing any deal to sell BrahMos missiles to the UAE, India will need Russia's approval, given that the two countries jointly developed the missile, which has a range of 290 kilometers. One source dismissed the possibility that this would pose an obstacle, given the close relationship between Moscow and Abu Dhabi.

Simon Wezeman, a senior researcher in the arms transfers program at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, said that both the BrahMos missile and the Akashter system could meet the UAE's needs, even with increasing international competition in arms sales to Gulf states and the UAE's dealings with other suppliers.