TSAMTO, March 25. According to the commander of the Philippine Navy, Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo, the BrahMos medium-range missile system equipped with a supersonic missile system is an ideal solution as a coastal defense system for the country's Navy.
According to the Philippine news agency PNA, with reference to the commander, "Brahmos" is evaluated by the technical working group of the Philippine Navy as the most promising version of the coastal defense complex. The Vice admiral sent this response to the agency's request to comment on the intentions of the Philippine Navy to adopt the Brahmos missiles.
Giovanni Carlo Bacordo said that the procurement project is being implemented in connection with the needs of the Navy in a reliable defense system and is provided for by the program of modernization of the Armed Forces. The project proposals have already been submitted to the country's top leadership, but must be approved by the Commander-in-Chief and receive appropriate funding.
Earlier, the Philippine Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana said that the Brahmos acquisition program will be implemented. On March 2, the Minister participated in the signing by Deputy Defense Minister Raimund Elefante and Indian Ambassador Shambu Kumaran of the implementation agreement on the procurement of military equipment and equipment, which will serve as the legal basis for the acquisition of military equipment within the framework of bilateral intergovernmental agreements.
The coastal missile system based on the BrahMos missile is being purchased by the Philippine Navy as part of the SBASMS (Shore-Based Anti-Ship Missile System) project, the acquisition of which is provided for by the second stage (Horizon-2) of the "Modernization Program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines", the implementation of which is planned for 2018-2022. In general, the budget of the second stage of Horizon-2 is estimated at 300 billion filip. the peso.
Earlier, the leadership of the Philippines positioned the complex on the basis of "Brahmos" as a priority purchase amid concerns about the actions of the Chinese Navy in the area of the territorial waters of the country. In December 2019, D. Lorenzana announced his intention to order the system in 2020, but the deadlines were violated due to the need to redirect funds to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the latest statement of the Minister of Defense, it is planned to purchase only one Brahmos battery for the Navy, which will consist of three systems.
The Brahmos supersonic two-stage cruise missile was developed by the Russian-Indian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace, formed by DRDO and the Military-Industrial Consortium NPO Mashinostroeniya 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 missile battery usually includes three to four autonomous self-propelled launchers( SPUs), each of which can accommodate three missiles in the TPC, as well as a mobile command post (MCP), which provides each SPU with telemetry data and information about targets and gives the command to strike. The RCC is capable of reaching speeds of up to 3M and carrying a warhead weighing 200-300 kg. Russia supplies about 65% of the components for the complex, including the power plant and the radar GOS. The parties agreed on the issue of intellectual property rights, which made it possible to offer Brahmos for export.
