Key facts
- The Philippines is expected to buy about five BrahMos systems, nearly 60 missiles, two Indian sources said.
- The potential deal is worth $700 million to $800 million, the sources said.
- The earlier BrahMos order for naval use was worth $375 million.
- Philippine defence ministry spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr wants additional BrahMos missiles.
- India's defence and foreign ministries and BrahMos Aerospace did not respond to requests for comment.
- India's defence exports for the fiscal year to March reached 384.24 billion rupees ($4.11 billion), up more than 62% year on year, government data showed.
India is in final-stage talks to expand its sale of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters, as New Delhi nears completion of deliveries under a 2022 deal.
The Philippines is expected to buy about five BrahMos systems, nearly 60 missiles in total, in a deal potentially worth $700 million to $800 million, two of the Indian sources said. One Indian source said: "Manila has shown interest again to procure about 5 systems of the BrahMos and they now view India as a very reliable partner." Reuters said it was the first to report the size and value of the deal.
The potential order is much higher than the last $375 million order of BrahMos for naval use. BrahMos, developed jointly by India and Russia, is among the world's fastest cruise missiles and can be launched from land, sea and air platforms.
Arsenio Andolong, a Philippines defence ministry spokesperson, told Reuters that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr had expressed his desire to acquire additional BrahMos missiles. Andolong did not offer more details. Speaking virtually at the Delhi Defence Dialogue on Wednesday, Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the Philippines hoped to secure more BrahMos units and had shared a wish list with Indian authorities to make the system more tailored to the Philippine environment.
The additional purchase comes as Manila builds its military strength and strengthens coastal defences while tension escalates with Beijing over overlapping claims in the South China Sea, where the two countries have clashed in recent years. India's defence and foreign ministries, as well as missile maker BrahMos Aerospace, did not respond to requests for comment.
Interest in the BrahMos system has increased since last year's four-day conflict between India and Pakistan, when India used the weapons system for the first time in battle. In July, Delhi announced the supply of BrahMos missiles to Indonesia and has also signed a deal with Vietnam. It is in talks on the system with a number of other countries including UAE, Thailand, South Africa and Brazil.
India's defence exports for the fiscal year to March reached 384.24 billion rupees ($4.11 billion), a jump of more than 62% from the same period the year before, government data showed.