The Philippines has agreed to purchase a $ 375 million worth of BrahMos anti-ship missile system jointly developed by India and Russia, Defense Secretary said Friday.
Philippine Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana released a document on Friday announcing Manila’s approval of a $ 375 million deal with Indian-Russian defense company BrahMos Aerospace to acquire an anti-ship missile system. ..
BrahMos Aerospace is a joint venture between India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Masinostroenia, which was established in 1998.
“As Head of Procurement Agency (HOPE), I recently signed an award notice for the Philippine Navy’s land-to-ship missile acquisition project,” said Lorenzana. Facebook..
“We have negotiated with the Government of India and include delivery of three batteries, training for operators and maintainers, and the required Integrated Logistics Assistance (ILS) package,” he added.
The Bramos missile system contract was conceptualized in 2017, but was postponed due to budget allocation and a coronavirus pandemic.
The new anti-ship system aims to prevent foreign vessels from invading the country’s 200 nautical miles of the exclusive economic zone.
“The Philippine Marine Corps Coastal Defense Regiment will be a major employer of this modern strategic defense capability of the Philippine Army,” Lorenzana said.
In 2018, the Philippines purchased an Israeli-made Spike ER missile. This is the first ever ship-mounted missile system for maritime deterrence and is worth $ 11.6 million.
The acquisition of Manila’s latest missile system was recognized as a means of strengthening its ability to defend its sovereignty claims in the South China Sea. The Filipino government had previously made diplomatic protests against China’s repeated destructive acts against Filipino authorities patrol the conflict sea.
The territorial dispute in the South China Sea is ongoing, and Beijing continues to pursue claims for 90 percent of the sea based on the so-called “nine-dash line.”
The Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration dismissed Beijing’s allegations against most of the South China Sea in 2016, supporting the Philippines and other countries in the region. China’s allegations were ruled to have no legal basis, but Beijing refused to comply with the ruling.
Meanwhile, India’s DRDO on Tuesday announced a successful test launch of an advanced version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from India’s new stealth guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam.
“The advanced sea-to-sea variant of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was tested today by INS Vishakapatnam. The missile hit the designated target ship exactly,” he said. twitter..
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Aldgra Fredly is a Malaysia-based freelance writer featuring the Epoch Times Asia Pacific News.