Boosting defence ties, India delivers Brahmos missile system to Philippines

NEW DELHI — India on Friday delivered the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile system to the Philippines, as part of the $374.9 million contract signed between the two countries in 2022.

A video that has now gone viral on social media shows sweets being shared after an Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft landed at the Clark Air Base, a Philippine Air Force base on Luzon Island.

Defence experts maintain that this deal for a shore-based version of an anti-ship cruise missile with a range of 290 km was the first major international export order for the Indian defence sector.

India has delivered this missile system to the Philippines amid the ongoing tension between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea.

The ground system exports for this missile system commenced last month. It is believed that the BrahMos missile system will be deployed in the coastal areas of the Philippines by the country’s marine corps.

Considered one of the most accurate and successful missile programmes globally, the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile is a joint venture between India and Russia.

The DRDO in India and the NPOM Mashinostroyeniya in Russia are its main partners.

Defence experts say that as the world’s leading and fastest precision-guided weapon, Brahmos played a key role in increasing India’s defence capabilities, with the Indian Army integrating several BrahMos regiments into its arsenal since 2007.