The Philippines became the first country to buy the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system, boosting India’s efforts to become a major exporter of defence hardware.
The Philippines recently signed the ‘notice of award’ or the acceptance of India’s BrahMos Aerospace Private Ltd $374.96 million (USD 374,962,800) proposal for supplying the missile system for the Philippine Navy’s shore-based anti-ship missile acquisition project. The Notice of Award was signed by Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.
- As a part of approval, Philippines will acquire three batteries of the BrahMos cruise missile jointly developed by India and Russia in a deal worth almost $375 million; training for operators and maintainers; along with Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) package.
Key Highlights:
i.The coastal defence regiment of the Philippine Marines will be the primary employer of this system.
ii.BrahMos missile flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach or almost three times the speed of sound. It has a range of 290 km (as per Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) regulations) and can carry a 200-kg warhead.
- It is capable of being launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air against surface and sea-based targets.
iii.The Philippines military is currently implementing a revised modernization programme and signed a contract for two corvettes with South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries on December 28, 2021. It also plans to sign contracts for 36 Black Hawk helicopters and six offshore patrol vessels in 2022.
Point to be noted:
i.India has set a target of achieving defence exports of $5 billion by 2024.
ii.Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand are other South-East Asian countries that have shown interest in the BrahMos system.
Recent Related News:
The Indian Navy conducted a ‘Maritime Partnership Exercise’ with the Philippines Navy in the West Philippine Sea at the South China Sea region in August 2021 to further strengthen bilateral collaboration in the maritime domain.
About Philippines:
Capital– Manila
Currency– Philippine peso
