TSAMTO, April 21st. India has shipped equipment from the second battery to the Philippines as part of a contract for the purchase of BrahMos mobile coastal missile systems for the country's Navy.
According to The New Indian Express, citing an unnamed source, unlike the first battery, which was delivered by military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force in April 2024, the second complex will be delivered by sea.
As previously reported by CAMTO, Minister of National Defense Delphine Lorenzana signed a notification on awarding BrahMos Aerospace Private Ltd a contract for the supply of shore-based anti-ship missile systems under an intergovernmental agreement in December 2021.
The cost of the order was 374.963 million dollars (18.9 billion pesos). Under an agreement with the Government of India, the Philippine Navy will supply three batteries of coastal defense systems based on the BrahMos cruise missile, jointly developed by India and Russia. The delivery package will also include training for operators and maintenance personnel, and related integrated logistics support.
The complexes will enter service with the Coastal Defense battalion of the Marine Corps of the Philippine Navy. The system will provide the opportunity to defeat the enemy in the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.
In December 2021, the Philippine Ministry of Budget and Management issued two Special Allocation Orders (SAROS) in the amount of 1.3 billion and 1.53 billion pesos to pay for the systems supply program. The Philippine Ministry of Defense signed an official contract for the acquisition of complexes with the Russian-Indian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace on January 28, 2022. In December 2023, the Ministry of Budget and Management of the Philippines allocated the third tranche in the amount of 5.67 billion Philippine pesos (about 101 million dollars) for the purchase of complexes.
The command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines received the first battery of the BrahMos missile defense System at Clark Air Base on April 19, 2024. The launchers were delivered from India aboard a C-17 Globmaster-3 aircraft of the Indian Air Force.
The first group of 21 Philippine Navy personnel received specialized training in India in February 2023. The Philippine Navy Marine Corps, which will operate the BrahMos complexes, has prepared three bases that will be used to protect maritime routes, including in disputed areas of the West Philippine Sea. A newly formed battalion of shore-based anti-ship missiles will be responsible for the combat use of the BrahMos.
In January of this year, it also became known that the Philippines is negotiating with India on the purchase of additional BrahMos PBCs. The negotiations are part of a project to acquire an integrated Coastal Anti-ship Missile System (ISBASMS) related to both the Ground Forces and the Marine Corps of the Philippine Navy. It is estimated that it is planned to purchase up to six additional batteries.
The Philippines became the first foreign country to purchase the Brahmos missile system. The developers expect that the deal with the Philippines will pave the way for sales of BrahMos to other Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. In January of this year, the Indonesian Ministry of Defense sent a letter to the Indian Embassy in Jakarta about a possible deal for the BrahMos PBOC in the amount of 450 million dollars. The contract has not been signed yet.
The BrahMos supersonic two-stage cruise missile was developed by the BrahMos Aerospace joint venture, formed by DRDO and NPO Mashinostroenie Military Industrial Consortium JSC. Various versions of the missile are in service with all three types of the Indian Armed Forces: the Air Force, Navy and SV. The anti-ship missile is capable of reaching speeds of up to 3M, carrying a warhead weighing 200-300 kg, and hitting targets at ranges up to 290 km.
