Delivery of “BrahMos” Missile System to Philippines Delayed Due to Adverse Weather
Due to adverse weather conditions at its deployment site, the Philippines is expected to only receive the initial components of the coastal defense missile system "BrahMos," a joint effort between India and Russia, within the next two months.
(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — The Philippines was supposed to begin receiving its coastal defense missile system “BrahMos” this month, but delivery has been delayed due to adverse weather conditions at its Southeast Asian deployment site.
Due to the adverse weather conditions at the deployment site, the Philippines is expected to only receive the initial components of the coastal defense missile system, a joint effort between India and Russia, within the next two months.
This was confirmed the General Manager for Market Promotion and Export at BrahMos Aerospace Praveen Pathak to the Russian news agency TASS at the ongoing World Defense Show exhibition in Saudi Arabia.
“We are facing challenges with the deployment of the guided missile system due to strong monsoon weather conditions. Construction at the site had to be slightly postponed, and we expect it to be completed within two months.
The delivery of the coastal missile system to the Philippines will occur once the construction on site is completed,” he said.
He also mentioned that a delegation from the Philippines recently visited India to ensure that all technical components of the coastal defense missile system were in good condition before deployment.
“They (the Filipino delegation) have signed acceptance letters for the components, and the missile system is ready for delivery to the Philippines,” according to the senior official at BrahMos Aerospace.
The Southeast Asian nation will be the first outside of India to utilize the aforementioned guided missile system, which will be deployed at several strategic locations in the country’s South China Sea, also referred to as the West Philippine Sea by Manila.
The Philippines intends to use the BrahMos guided missile system to deter China from any attempts to seize or occupy islands or reefs within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the western South China Sea, also known as the West Philippine Sea by Manila.
With the BrahMos missile system, Chinese coast guard vessels will need to “think twice” before approaching any Filipino islands or reefs within the Philippine EEZ.
The Philippines awarded the contract for the purchase of the missile system to BrahMos Aerospace Private Ltd, the developer of the system, on December 31, 2021.
The BrahMos missile system is a collaboration between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostreyenia (NPOM).
The Philippines is expected to acquire the anti-ship variant of the BrahMos missile, with an effective range of approximately 300km and a supersonic speed of 2.8 Mach.
The BrahMos missile carries about 200kg of high-explosive material.
The BrahMos missile is a medium-range cruise missile that utilizes ramjet technology and can be launched from various platforms including air, naval vessels, submarines, and coastal area.
Where will the Philippines deploy the guided missile system?
Previous reports from the Philippines indicate that among the potential deployment locations for the BrahMos missile system being considered by the Philippines are Basco on Batan Island in the Bashi Channel, San Felipe in Zambales, Culion, and Tagbita on Palawan Island.
With the operational radius of the BrahMos missile system that the Philippines will possess reaching up to 300km, if indeed the guided missile system is placed at Tagbita on Palawan Island, it will target one of China’s military bases in the Spratly Islands, namely Mischief Reef.
China has reclaimed Mischief Reef, originally a coral reef, and turned it into an artificial island.
In addition to Subi Reef and Fiery Cross, Mischief Reef is a major Chinese military base in the Spratly Islands. —DSA
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