Explained: Indo-Philippines Defence Deal For BrahMos Missiles

In its first-of-a-kind deal, The Philippines has signed a pact with the BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL) to acquire a shore-based anti-ship ramjet supersonic missile system for a total of 374.96 million U.S. Dollars.

A contract signing ceremony was held on 28th January wherein the deal was sealed by the Philippines¡¯ Defense Secretary of the Department of National Defense, Delfin N. Lorenzana, and the Director-General of BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited, Atul Dinkar Rane.

At the onset of the year, a proposal had been sent to the Philippines government by the BrahMos Aerospace; after much deliberations, a notice of award was issued by the Philippines¡¯ Department of National defence, detailing the acceptance of the offer.

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What is the deal

The deal seeks to supply three batteries of the BrahMos missile system, which has a range of 290 Kilometers and an integrated logistics support (ILS) package along with training for maintainers and operators. The missiles are capable of traveling three times faster than the speed of sound and hold much potential to enhance the naval strength of the Philippines.

BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited is an Indo-Russian multinational aerospace and defence corporation with a focus on cruise missiles. It was founded as a joint venture between India's Defence Research and Development Organisation and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyenia and is headquartered in New Delhi, India. The company primarily manufactures BrahMos Missiles.

According to the official website of BrahMos Aerospace, ¡°after the Gulf War of 1990s, it was felt increasingly necessary to equip the country with a cruise missile system.

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It was at that time when India¡¯s decades-old bonhomie with Russia, without disturbing the unique balance in the Non-alignment policy, came to the forefront in developing the new missile system¡±.

The BrahMos is one of the fastest medium-range supersonic cruise missiles in the World which can be launched from Land, Sea, and Air. Named after the river Brahmaputra of India and river Moskva of Russia, the BrahMos is a joint venture between India¡¯s Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and the Russian Federation¡¯s NPO Mahinostroyeniya, who have come together to form the Brahmos Aerospace Private Limited.

The BrahMos is a two-stage missile whose range varies from 290 kilometers to 400 kilometers and can reach a maximum speed of Mach 3. The first stage is a solid propellant booster while the other is a liquid ramjet. It weights 3t and intercepts surface targets at an altitude of 10m up to 14,000m.

The Philippines¡¯ Secretary of Defence, Delfin Lorenzana stated, ¡°As the world¡¯s fastest supersonic cruise missiles, the Brahmos missiles will provide deterrence against any attempt to undermine our sovereignty and sovereign rights, especially in the West Philippine Sea¡±.

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The remark is indicative of the long-standing dispute in the South China Sea region. China¡¯s claims of sovereignty over the waters and its hydrocarbon riches have time and again been a matter of conflict with The Philippines. The deal, hence, can be seen as a way of The Philippines upscaling its marine effectiveness to counter China.

Attributing to this, many other countries in the Southeast Asian region like Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia have shown their interest in supersonic missiles. It is speculated that discussions with Thailand are in their early developing stage and hence still being contemplated. Indonesia¡¯s naval team has been frequenting visits to India to determine the suitability of the missiles concerning their warships. As per the sources, it is also being stated that deliberations with Vietnam are proceeding positively.