Philippines; BrahaMos cruise missile order soon

India and Russia are looking to export to the Philippines their jointly developed BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, a move that may unnerve Beijing, given its border standoff with New Delhi and territorial disputes with other neighbors in the South China Sea.

Asked if it had already ordered the weapons, Arsenio Andolong, a spokesman at the Philippine Department of National Defense, told Nikkei Asia that the Southeast Asian nation had inquired about the missile but that the purchase “is still under evaluation.” Adding, “It is part of our modernization program to enhance our territorial defense capability.”

Last December, the Philippines said that it planned to buy the BrahMos for the army and air force to boost its coastal defenses. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the contract would be signed by the second quarter of 2020, and consist of “two batteries,” according to the state-run Philippine News Agency. A BrahMos missile battery comprises three mobile autonomous launchers.