Image source: topwar.ru
Given the high cost of Western combat systems and the threat of sanctions for the purchase of Russian weapons, India is gradually entering the world market as a supplier of military products. Currently, the Asia-Pacific region is the highest priority for it, since most of the states located here have strained relations with China, and therefore do not want to cooperate with the PRC in the military-technical sphere.
New Delhi's first major breakthrough in military sales was the contract signed at the end of 2021, which provides for the supply of three BrahMos PKR batteries to the Philippines for $374.96 million.
- indicated in the foreign edition of 21AAR.
As noted in the press, at the conclusion of this deal, India demonstrated the possibility of selling powerful weapons for relatively little money:
According to the author, these RCC are able to protect all the waterways of the country, its critical infrastructure and major cities, and are much more important for the Armed Forces of the Philippines than Western products with an incredibly high cost.
For our part, we note that in September 2022, the Ministry of Defense of the Philippines actually refused to purchase F-16s from the United States, citing their high cost and budget constraints.