India may be close to a bigger BrahMos missile sale to the Philippines, and the talks are reportedly in their final stage. Nothing has been signed, and neither government has confirmed the figures.
Sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters that India is in final-stage talks to expand its supersonic cruise missile sales to the Philippines. Two of the Indian sources said Manila is expected to buy about five BrahMos systems, nearly 60 missiles in total, in a deal potentially worth $700 million to $800 million.
Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told the Delhi Defence Dialogue, speaking virtually, that the Philippines hoped to secure more BrahMos units and had shared a wish list with Indian authorities to make the system better suited to the Philippine environment. He called it a “very capable weapon.” A Philippine defence ministry spokesperson told Reuters that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr had expressed his desire to acquire additional BrahMos missiles, but gave no further details.
What is BrahMos?
BrahMos was developed through an Indo-Russian joint venture and is based on Russia’s P-800 Oniks missile, with significant refinements. It can reach Mach 2.8. It can be launched from land, sea and air platforms. Export versions are capped at a range of 290 kilometres because of MTCR restrictions, even though the missile can reach up to 800 kilometres.
The Philippines was India’s first BrahMos customer. It signed a $374.96 million contract in January 2022 for the shore-based anti-ship variant, India’s first-ever export deal for the missile. Deliveries under that deal are scheduled to be completed this year. The new deal would be much higher than that $375 million naval order, roughly double on the reported figures.
Why does Manila want more?
The Philippines is modernising its military and strengthening coastal defences as tensions rise in the disputed South China Sea. The missile is used for coastal defence, which suits an archipelago with a long coastline to protect.
The Philippines is not the only customer. In July, Delhi announced the supply of BrahMos missiles to Indonesia and has also signed a deal with Vietnam, and it is in talks on the system with countries including the UAE, Thailand, South Africa and Brazil. India’s defence exports for the fiscal year to March reached ₹38,424 crore ($4.11 billion), a jump of more than 62% from the year before. A larger Philippine order would add to that trend and deepen India’s defence footprint in Southeast Asia.
The talks are described as final-stage, but final-stage is not signed. The open questions are whether the deal is concluded at the reported size, how many of Manila’s customisation requests are met, and how soon deliveries begin. Until an official announcement, the numbers remain sourced estimates.
An official confirmation of such a deal is yet to come.
