“I recently signed the Notice of Award for the Philippine Navy shore-based anti-ship missile acquisition project. Negotiated with the Government of India, it includes the delivery of three batteries, training for operators and maintainers as well as the necessary Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) package,” Delfin Lorenzana, Secretary of National Defence of Philippines, said in a Facebook post.

The Philippines government’s Department of National Defense also posted a copy of the contract award notice on its website.

“This is to inform you that the proposal of BrahMos Aerospace Private Ltd. For the shore based anti-ship missile system acquisition project for the Philippine Navy, with a corresponding price proposal in the amount of $374,962,800 is hereby accepted,” the notice stated.

BrahMos Aerospace has been asked to carry out performance security which is similar to the security deposit that means a financial guarantee that the company needs to furnish as the successful tenderer for the due performance of the contract that already has been carried out.

This is a landmark win for India’s Defence Industrial complex in a global competition. The Indian offer is supported by Russia, which has developed the 290-km missile with India and continues to supply key played parts, notably the engine which powers Brahmos to Mach 3, or three times the speed of sound.  

This will be amongst the most significant Indian exports of offensive military equipment to an ASEAN country and marks a big moment in India’s Act East Policy. This marks the success of Indian outreach efforts to countries similarly threatened by Chinese expansionism.  

Negotiated with the Government of India, it includes the delivery of three batteries, training for operators and maintainers as well as the necessary Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) package. Conceptualized as early as 2017, the Office of the President approved its inclusion in the Horizon 2 Priority Projects in 2020,” the Secretary stated. 

“The Coastal Defense Regiment of the Philippine Marines will be the primary employer of this modern strategic defense capability of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” Secretary Lorenzana added. There’s often been tension in the waters around Philippines because of aggressive Chinese naval presence and its territorial claims over the Spratly Islands. 

BrahMos Aerospace, an India-Russian joint venture, produces the supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or from land platforms. BrahMos missile flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach or almost three times the speed of sound.

Brahmos missile regiments are deployed by India close to the borders where it faces threat of external aggression. It is the world’s fastest cruise missile, which with its manoeuvre capability is virtually impossible to intercept. It’s high level of accuracy is also proven. 

An Indian delegation was slated to visit Manila to sign the contract, which is for the shore-based variant of the anti-ship missile system and it will bolster Philippines’ defence capability amid increasing Chinese aggression.

In November, Chinese coast guard ships blocked and used water cannons on two Philippines supply boats heading to a disputed shoal occupied by Filipino marines in the South China Sea. This led to a warning from the Philippines government that its vessels are covered under a mutual defence treaty with the United States.

In December, Philippines’ budget department issued two special allotment release orders (SARO) — worth Peso 1.3 billion (Rs 190 crore) and Peso 1.535 billion (Rs 224 crore). The SARO allows the country’s Department of National Defence to finalise contracts for military hardware.

Negotiations for BrahMos between India and the Philippines had been going on for the last few years, but hit a roadblock in December 2020, with Manila citing budgetary limitations caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In March 2021, India signed a key enabling pact with the Philippines that had paved the way for government-to-government deals on defence equipment, including BrahMos.

Apart from the Philippines, Vietnam could be the next BrahMos export customer as talks between the two countries have progressed. India has offered BrahMos to countries that have been facing increasing Chinese maritime adventurism in areas of the South China Sea and Indian Ocean Region.

Dr. Sudhir Kumar Mishra, former Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the BrahMos Aerospace Limited recently while speaking to the media had said that as per NATO’s studies only Two BrahMos hits can sink any big class of warships and smaller warships can be taken down by one BrahMos hit.

Advanced variant tested

On 11 January, India successfully test-fired a naval variant of the advanced supersonic BrahMos cruise missile from a stealth guided-missile destroyer of the Indian Navy. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said the missile hit the designated target “precisely”. “Advanced sea to sea variant of BrahMos Supersonic Cruise missile was tested from INS Visakhapatnam today. Missile hit the designated target ship precisely,” the DRDO tweeted.

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Two variants of supersonic cruise missile BrahMos were successfully tested, on 17 December, to check their capability to hit targets with precision and accuracy.

A land-attack version of the missile was test-launched from a mobile autonomous launcher at Launch Pad-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur. Earlier on May 22, 2019, IAF had successfully tested the missile against a land-based target in the Car Nicobar Islands region.

In the second test on 17 December, the air force variant was fired when a fighter jet of the IAF flew from Kalaikunda airbase and launched the missile towards an air-borne target over the Bay of Bengal. This was the third such live launch of the weapon and with this launch, the integration of the missile on Su-30MKI aircraft, is complete.

The air launched BrahMos missile is a 2.5 ton supersonic air to surface cruise missile with ranges close to 300 km. The IAF became the first Air Force in the world to have successfully fired an air launched trisonic-class surface attack missile of this category on a sea target on 22 November2017. This was followed by a second live launch over a land target on 22 May 2019.

The software development and integration of weapon of the aircraft was undertaken by the IAF engineers while HAL carried out complex mechanical and electrical modifications on aircraft.

The BrahMos missile provides Indian Air Force a much desired capability to strike form large stand-off ranges on any target at sea or on land with pinpoint accuracy by day or night and in all weather conditions. The capability of the missile coupled with the high performance of the Su-30MKI aircraft gives the IAF a strategic reach and allows it to dominate the battle fields over land and sea.

The BrahMos missile is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile capable of being launched from submarines, warships, fighter jets or land. The 2.5-tonne missile has a strike range of nearly 300 kilometres. The first extended version of the missile with a strike range of 450 km was successfully tested on 11 March 2017.

A shorter range land-attack version of the BrahMos was earlier successfully test-fired from the ITR at Chandipur on 30 September 2019.

Similarly, the IAF had conducted successful trials of BrahMos missiles from Trak Island in Andaman and Nicobar Islands on 22 October 2019.

Quick Reaction SAM System

Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile System (QRSAM) developed by DRDO was successfully flight-tested, on 23 December, from the Integrated Test Range in Odisha’s Chandipur, with full configuration in deployment mode intercepting the target in mid-air. The test met all mission objectives. The missile successfully engaged the aerial target establishing its capability.

QRSAM weapon system, which operates on the move, comprises of fully automated Command and Control System, Active Array Battery Surveillance Radar, Active Array Battery Multifunction Radar and Launcher. Both radars are four walled having 360-degree coverage with search on move and track on move capability. The system is compact with minimum number of vehicles for a firing unit. Single stage solid propelled missile has mid course inertial navigation system with two-way data link and terminal active seeker developed by DRDO.

With this mission, the developmental trials of the weapon system are successfully completed and the weapon system is expected to be ready for induction by 2021.

Pinaka Guided Rocket System Tested

An upgraded version of Pinaka guided rocket system was successfully test-fired from base on Odisha coast, on 19 December, from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, off the Odisha coast. The missile was fired from Pinaka launcher system in deployment configuration.

The mission achieved all the objectives including enhancing the range, accuracy and sub-system functionality.

Pinaka is an artillery missile system capable of striking into an enemy territory up to a range of 75 km with high precision.

The Pinaka Mk-II rocket is modified as a missile by integrating with the navigation, control and guidance system to improve the end accuracy and enhance the range.

The navigation system of the missile is also aided by the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) also called as NAVIC.

The missile system has been jointly developed by various Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratories viz Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Proof & Experimental Establishment (PXE) and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL).

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Philippines May Induct BrahMos in 2020

The Philippines is set to become the first country to buy the BrahMos cruise missile jointly developed by India and Russia, with New Delhi and Manila focusing on price negotiations with the aim of concluding a deal in 2020

The contract signing for the medium-range ramjet supersonic BrahMos cruise missiles, for coastal defence missions of the Philippine Army, may take place by the early part of 2020, Philippines Department of National Defence (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on 16 December.

The cost of the system will be the key factor in Manila’s decision on the number of units to be purchased to equip the Philippines Army’s first Land Based Missile System Battery, which was raised and activated in October. Lorenzana said that Philippines would acquire two batteries in a government-to-government deal. A missile battery is equivalent to three mobile autonomous launchers with two or three missile tubes each.    

India has been in talks with several countries, including Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam, over the past few years to sell them land and sea-based versions of the supersonic cruise missile.

Though India has offered a $100 million line of credit to the Philippines for defence purchases, Manila is exploring the option of acquiring the BrahMos system with its own funds to be allocated in the next budget.

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