The Philippine Navy’s Marine Corps has begun receiving BrahMos coastal-based anti-ship missile systems from the Indian company BrahMos Aerospace Private Ltd.
According to a Philippines military-specific YouTube channel DA-REAL Military Channel on December 12, the initial system components are now being approved. There is no official confirmation from India or the Philippines.
The initial delivery of the BrahMos missile system to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is anticipated for 2023, India’s Ambassador to the Philippines Shambhu Kumaran informed the state-run Philippine News Agency in mid-August.
The Philippines accepted BrahMos Aerospace Private Ltd’s offer to provide shore-based anti-ship missile systems following an intergovernmental agreement in the end ofv 2021.
The order cost was 374.96 million dollars (18.9 billion pesos). The Philippine Navy will buy three batteries of coastal defence systems based on the India-Russia-developed BrahMos cruise missile. In addition to operator and maintenance staff training, the delivery package includes integrated logistics assistance.
The Philippine government has decided to purchase the variant of Brahmos that allows for the installation of launchers along the coastline. Its range of 290 kilometres is adequate to cover a portion of the contested maritime areas, which Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan also claim.
The Philippine government paid an advance payment of $55.5 million (2.8 billion pesos) for the delivery of the system in December 2021