(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — The Philippines received its first shipment of “BrahMos” coastal missile defense systems from India today, aimed at countering Chinese encroachments in its territorial waters in the South China Sea.
An Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft landed at a Philippine airport, delivering the initial BrahMos missile and its associate components.
The Philippines marks the first international customer to procure the BrahMos system in a land-based variant, which will be strategically deployed across several locations in the South China Sea, also referred unilaterally as the West Philippine Sea by Manila.
Three BrahMos missile system batteries will be operated by the Philippine Marine Corps, each consisting of two launchers, a radar, and a command and control center.
The system is capable of launching two missiles within 10 seconds from submarines, warships, fighter aircraft, and land platforms.
Initially scheduled for delivery in February, the deployment was delayed due to adverse weather conditions affecting the construction of missile stations in Southeast Asia.
This acquisition, with an estimated contract value of US$375 million (RM1.8 billion), awarded to BrahMos Aerospace Private Ltd in January 2022, is part of a joint venture between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM).
The coastal variant of the BrahMos missile has an effective range of approximately 300 km and travels at a supersonic speed of Mach 2.8, carrying around 200 kg of high-explosive payload.
The missile is a medium-range cruise missile that utilizes ramjet technology, allowing it to be launched from multiple platforms, including air, naval ships, submarines, and coastal areas.
The Philippines intends to use the BrahMos system to deter China from any attempts to seize, occupy, or reclaim islands and coral reefs within its Exclusive Economic Zone in the West Philippine Sea.
With the deployment of BrahMos missiles, Chinese coast guard vessels will have to “think twice” before approaching any Philippine island or reef within this zone.
Potential deployment sites for the BrahMos systems include Basco on Batan Island in the Bashi Channel, San Felipe in Zambales, and Culion and Tagbita on Palawan Island.
If stationed in Tagbita, Palawan, the system could place China’s military base on Mischief Reef, which China has transformed from a coral reef into an artificial island, within its operational radius.
Mischief Reef, along with Subi Reef and Fiery Cross, serves as a major Chinese military base in the Spratly Islands. — DSA