Philippines inks $369-million missile deal with India’s BrahMos

28 January 2022 at 6:54 pm·1-min read

NEW DELHI, INDIA - JANUARY 23, 2006: Brahmos Missile on display during full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day parade at Rajpath, on January 23, 2006 in New Delhi, India. The Philippines signed a P18.9-billion ($369 million) contract to acquire India’s BrahMos Aerospace Pvt. Ltd's shore-based anti-ship missile system. (Photo by Ajay Aggarwal/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) — FILE PHOTO: Brahmos Missile on display during full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day parade at Rajpath, on January 23, 2006 in New Delhi, India. The Philippines signed a P18.9-billion ($369 million) contract to acquire India’s BrahMos Aerospace Pvt. Ltd's shore-based anti-ship missile system. (Photo by Ajay Aggarwal/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

By Andreo Calonzo

The Philippines signed a contract with India’s BrahMos Aerospace Pvt. Ltd. for an P18.9-billion ($369 million) shore-based anti-ship missile system, boosting defense ties between the two nations locked in separate territorial disputes with China.

The deal involves the acquisition of “the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missiles,” Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement. It will help deter attempts to undermine Philippine sovereign rights, especially in the South China Sea, he said.

The Southeast Asian nation has been moving to modernize its military as it contends with China’s presence in disputed waters. Last month, it bought two warships from South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd.