India delivers first batch of BrahMos supersonic missiles to Philippines

CategoryDefence

Last Updated22/04/2024

India delivered the first batch of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines.
The Philippines concluded a $375-million deal with India for an anti-ship variant of the BrahMos becoming the first export customer for the joint venture missile between India and Russia.

The first batch was delivered aboard a transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force which landed in the Philippines
The delivery comes amid the showdown between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea and will significantly augment the defensive posture of the Philippines armed forces once the systems are operationalised.

BrahMos is a long-range nuclear-capable supersonic cruise missile system.
It possesses the capability to be deployed from several platforms, including air, sea, and land.
It is capable of traveling at speeds of up to Mach 3, and it is one of the world’s fastest cruise missiles.
It was developed by BrahMos Aerospace and tested for the first time in 2001.
BrahMos is named after the rivers Brahmaputra and Moskva (Russia). BrahMos is the potent offensive missile weapon system already inducted into the Armed Forces.

Following the Gulf War of the 1990s, it became clear that the country needed a cruise missile system.
As a result, in 1998, India and Russia signed an intergovernmental agreement in Moscow.
It paved the way for the formation of BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between India's Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM).

India and the Philippines are two democratic countries in the Indo-Pacific region that share a common approach towards the Indo-Pacific, emphasizing the importance of a free, open, and stable region.
Political Relations: India and the Philippines formally established diplomatic relations on 26 November 1949, shortly after both countries gained independence. (Philippines in 1946 and India in 1947).
When India launched the Look East Policy and intensified partnership with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1992, it also resulted in intensified relations with the Philippines both bilaterally and in the regional context.
With the Act East Policy (2014), the relationship with the Philippines has diversified further into political-security; trade and industry, etc.
Economic Relations: India is currently the Philippines' fifteenth largest trading partner, with trade worth approximately USD 3 billion in 2022.
Also, Philippines has been a net importer in goods trade with India.

The Philippines is an archipelago located in Southeast Asia, bordered by the Philippine Sea to the east, the South China Sea to the west, and the Celebes Sea to the south.
It consists of 7,641 islands, with Luzon and Mindanao being the largest.
The capital city is Manila, situated on Luzon Island.