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Manila has submitted a wish list for customizations to the missile systems to India, according to the Philippines Defense Secretary, Gilberto Teodoro. He added that Manila had submitted a wish list to New Delhi to customize the missile system to its operational requirements.
Teodoro explained the customizations were needed because the limited road and bridge infrastructure and lack of an active rail network pose challenges in transporting heavy military equipment. The deal apparently includes five missile systems and nearly 60 missiles for up to US$800 million to strengthen the Philippines’ coastal defenses. The negotiations are reported to be in their final stages.
The Philippines became the first foreign buyer of the Russian-Indian supersonic cruise missile in 2022, signing a US$375 million contract for three shore-based anti-ship missile batteries. India began deliveries in April 2024 and is nearing completion of the original agreement.
Philippines Defense Ministry spokesperson Arsenio Andolong separately confirmed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants to acquire more BrahMos missiles. Marcos expressed interest in buying more BrahMos missiles during his visit to India in August last year.
The country, a major non-NATO ally of the US, has been modernizing its armed forces and strengthening coastal defenses amid territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.
The BrahMos missile was jointly developed by India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya (NPOM) and is manufactured in India. It can be launched from land, sea, and air platforms. BrahMos Aerospace is an Indo-Russian joint venture established in 1998 via an inter-governmental agreement between India and Russia.
India’s DRDO holds a 50.5% stake (represented by the Defence Research and Development Organisation), and Russia’s NPOM holds a 49.5% stake. It is headquartered in New Delhi and is named after India’s Brahmaputra River and Russia’s Moscow River.
India has expanded BrahMos sales to other Southeast Asian countries, with an agreement to supply the missiles to Indonesia announced in July. Indian Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh also confirmed in May that a deal with Vietnam had been signed.
