New Delhi: India has delivered the first batch of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines, on Friday. This marks India’s first export of the advanced weapon system.
The delivery took place after over two years after the two nations inked a $375 million deal. The agreement paved the way for government-to-government deals on BrahMos and other defence collaborations.
As India Sentinels had reported earlier, Philippine marines had completed the operator training of the shore-based anti-ship version of BrahMos in February 2023. Recently, the DRDO chief had said the missile system was poised to be delivered to the Philippines.
The BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited, a joint venture of India and Russia, supplied Manila with three export versions of the high-speed BrahMos missile system. Each system comprises two missile launchers, a radar unit, and a command-and-control centre. This system allows for the firing of two missiles within a span of 10 seconds, from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land-based platforms.
An Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster jet carried the cruise missiles from India to the Philippines. It is the first instance of India exporting the BrahMos missile. Several nations, including Argentina, have also expressed interest in acquiring BrahMos missiles from India.
The BrahMos missile travels at a speed of 2.8 Mach, which is nearly three times the speed of sound4. India aims to strengthen defence cooperation with the Philippines amid rising international apprehensions about China’s escalating military activities in the South China Sea.
The prime minister, Narendra Modi, lauded the delivery of the missiles to the Philippines. Addressing a rally in Telangana’s Domah, Modi said, “Now we are also exporting BrahMos missiles. The first batch of this missile is going to the Philippines today. I congratulate all the countrymen on this.”
The delivery of the BrahMos missiles to the Philippines has immense economic, diplomatic, and geopolitical significance, especially in the Indo-Pacific region. The India-Philippines BrahMos missile export agreement is understood to be the first major military export deal for New Delhi.
The Indian Navy chief, in February, said BrahMos will be the primary weapon for the Navy following the Cabinet Committee on Security’s approval of a ₹19,000 crore deal to procure 200 of the advanced BrahMos supersonic cruise missile for the service.
