India delivered the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines Friday as part of a $375-million deal signed in 2022.
The delivery of the missiles was also announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an election rally in Damoh in Madhya Pradesh where he congratulated people of the country for this.
An IAF C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft and a chartered aircraft delivered the missile system to the Philippines Marine Corps. Sources said three batteries of the weapon system would be deployed by the Philippines in their coastal area amid tensions with China in the South China Sea.
Defence sources said that deliveries of some of the missile storage facility items had begun last month, but the actual deliveries of the missiles began Friday.
The deal for a shore-based variant of an anti-ship cruise missile marked India’s first major export order. The missile has a range of around 290 km.
BrahMos Aerospace is a joint venture between Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya.
The supersonic cruise missile has been operationalised in all three wings of the Indian armed forces.
BrahMos NG is a next-generation smaller, lighter version of the weapon system which can be deployed on a range of military platforms. The trials for it were scheduled to be held in the first half of 2024.
Work has been underway to upgrade the range of the existing BrahMos missiles from 290 km to 500 km for land attacks and 400 km for ship attacks. Electronic counter-counter measures are also part of the other upgrades being carried out.
Last month, the Ministry of Defence signed contracts with BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited to procure BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and procurement of ship-borne BrahMos systems at a cost of Rs 19,518.65 crore and Rs 988.07 crore respectively. (IE)
