EYE ON CHINA: FIRST BATCH OF BRAHMOS MISSILES LANDS IN PHILIPPINES FROM INDIA
India on April 19 delivered BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines. The two countries had signed a deal worth $375 million in 2022. An Indian Air Force's C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft landed at Clark Airbase in Philippines today morning with the first batch of Made-in-India BrahMos missiles.
In January 2022, India sealed the deal with the Philippines for supplying three batteries of the missile.
This was the first export of the BrahMos missile by India.
A few other countries including Argentina have also shown interest in procuring BrahMos missiles from India.
BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd, an India-Russian joint venture, produces the supersonic cruise missiles that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms.
BrahMos missile flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach or almost three times the speed of sound.
India has been looking at further expanding defence ties with the Philippines against the backdrop of growing global concerns over China's increasing military assertiveness in the South China Sea.
There have been growing global concerns over China's sweeping claims of sovereignty over all of the South China Sea, a huge source of hydrocarbons.
Several countries in the region, including Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei, have counterclaims.
As part of efforts to boost military ties with the Philippines, India has decided to post a defence attache to that country along with Ethiopia, Mozambique, Poland and Ivory Coast.
(With agency inputs)
2024-04-19T09:03:10Z dg43tfdfdgfd