BrahMos with semi-armor-piercing warhead goes to the Philippines
MANILA, ($1=51.26 Philippine Peso) – The government of the Philippines has decided to buy from India coastal defense missile systems BrahMos with missiles capable of carrying 200 kg of semi-armor-piercing warheads. The information was confirmed by the State Information Agency of the Philippines – PNA.
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BulgarianMilitary.com reminded that negotiations for the purchase of BrahMos supersonic missiles began in May last year, but due to the complicated epidemic situation in the world due to the spread of Kovid-19, the negotiations were temporarily suspended.
According to the Philippine Ministry of Defense, two BrahMos batteries will be purchased and will be deployed as a joint artillery unit and will participate in Coast Guard missions. A spokesman for the Philippine Army (PA), Col. Xerxes Trinidad, said the purchase was part of the 3rd horizon of the local RAFPMP program. BulgarianMilitary.com reminded us that the Philippine Army is currently implementing the 2nd horizon of this program, which means that Manila will acquire both batteries in the coming years.
BrahMos is a supersonic missile jointly developed by India and Russia, which is manufactured in India under license. Currently, only India has adopted this missile, developing a version of the three military warheads – land, air, sea. There are rumors that Russia may also include BrahMos as part of its military arsenal, but so far this information has not been confirmed.
The ground version of the BrahMos rocket, which the Philippines buys, is powered in series by a two-stage propulsion system – the first system launches the rocket with liquid fuel, the second system accelerates the rocket through a ramjet with liquid fuel. According to military experts, this type of BrahMos propulsion allows its range to be increased. Also, two-stage propulsion and the type of fuel used is a cheaper option than standard rocket fuel.
The decision of the Philippines to acquire BrahMos was made by the Philippine government in 2019 – long before negotiations with India began. According to unconfirmed information, $ 100 million was offered to the Philippines at the time as the credit line from New Delhi to start production. Even then, the Philippines began investigating the possibility of Manila buying the two batteries in two tranches and not relying on the credit line from India. The value of the deal is nearly $375 million but is still unknown how the Philippines will pay for both BrahMos systems.
BulgarianMilitary.com has a source in the Ministry of Defense of the Philippines who confirmed that one battery will be located in Ford Magsay. There is already a ground-based missile system 1LBMS Btry. According to our source, by the end of 2024, India has committed to supply the two BrahMos batteries and train the Philippine personnel who will operate them.
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