India has dispatched the second battery of its BrahMos supersonic cruise missile to the Philippines.
The latest delivery follows the initial battery sent by air in April 2024.
“The second battery of the missile has been sent in a ship this time,” a defense source confirmed. “The first battery was sent in April 2024 in an IAF aircraft, with support coming from civil aircraft agencies. The long-haul flight carrying the heavy load was a non-stop six-hour journey before the equipment reached the western parts of the Philippines,” the source said.
The $374.96 million deal was announced in January 2022 and includes the delivery of three shore-based anti-ship missile system (SBASMS) batteries to the Philippine Navy.
The missile system, developed by BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited—a joint venture between India and Russia—has a range of 290 kilometers and can travel at speeds up to Mach 2.8.
The BrahMos missile, capable of being launched from land, sea, air, and submarine platforms, has garnered interest from multiple countries. In January this year, Indonesia’s defense ministry issued a letter of intent to India’s embassy in Jakarta regarding a potential $450 million deal for the same missile system.
India is also in active discussions with Thailand and several other nations interested in acquiring the BrahMos system. The missile is currently undergoing a major indigenisation push, with 83% of its components now sourced domestically.