Philippines wants more BrahMos missiles from India and has sent a wish list, Teodoro says

The Philippines wants to buy more BrahMos supersonic cruise missile systems from India and has given Indian officials a list of changes it would like so the weapon better suits Philippine conditions, Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said. He made the remarks late on Wednesday, 4 November, when he joined the third Delhi Defence Dialogue by video link, according to the state-run Philippine News Agency.

Teodoro said Manila hopes to increase the number of BrahMos units it operates. He did not say how many more launchers or batteries it wants, what the purchase might cost or when a deal could be signed, and neither report described a new contract.

Building on the first export deal

The Philippines was the first foreign buyer of the Indian-made missile. In January 2022 the then defence secretary, Delfin Lorenzana, and BrahMos Aerospace director general Atul Dinkar Rane signed a PHP18.9 billion contract for three shore-based batteries. Defence Security Asia put the value of that deal, signed on 28 January 2022 for the Philippine Marine Corps, at about US$375 million.

A battery normally has three to six launchers together with tracking and monitoring equipment and a logistics support vehicle. The missile can be fired from land, ships, aircraft or submarines, flies at about Mach 2.8, or roughly 3,400 kilometres per hour, and carries a warhead of 200 to 300 kilograms. The news agency said the system is expected to help the armed forces with sea control, area denial and the defence of the country's coasts and islands.

Teodoro presented India's willingness to sell the system as a mark of trust. In his account, New Delhi had judged the Philippines to be a responsible buyer that would use the missiles only for defence and in line with international law.

Space cooperation and a satellite programme

Teodoro said Indian officials had also asked for cooperation in space technology, and that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had agreed to pursue it. He said the Philippines could offer areas for testing space technology as well as Filipino specialists, and that the Philippine Space Agency could be involved.

He added that Marcos had told the defence department to launch a satellite acquisition programme for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and that India would be a very important potential partner for it.

An expansion still taking shape

Talk of a larger BrahMos force has been building for days. Defence Security Asia reported on 4 November that the Philippine Army is pursuing its own BrahMos purchase, separate from the Marine Corps contract, but that the deal remains unsigned and its size, financing and delivery schedule are unresolved. The outlet said figures of up to nine more batteries have been discussed but none has been confirmed as an order.

A day earlier, the Philippine ambassador to India, Josel Ignacio, told the ANI news agency in an interview reported by The Economic Times that Manila was very happy with the systems it has and that the purchase opened the way for more high-technology defence buys from India. He indicated that decisions on further purchases rest with the defence establishment and the military.

Teodoro's comments are the clearest statement so far from the defence secretary himself that Manila intends to add to its BrahMos inventory, and the wish list suggests the next batch could be modified rather than simply repeat the Marine Corps order. Until a contract is signed, however, the scale and timing of any expansion of the Philippines' coastal missile force remain unclear.