India delivers first batch of BrahMos missiles to the Philippines

New Delhi: India has delivered the first batch of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and launchers to the Philippines. The delivery was made two years after the two countries signed a deal worth almost $375 million to equip the Philippine Marines with three batteries of the missiles.

This is the first export order for the BrahMos missile developed by India and Russia. The deliveries to the Philippines were held up as the two nations hadn’t signed a non-disclosure agreement.

India flew the consignment to the south-east Asian country in an IAF C-17 transport aircraft, the officials said. The January 2022 deal was seen as a shot in the arm for New Delhi’s efforts to emerge as an exporter of major defence hardware.

India has set a defence export target of ₹35,000 crore by 2024-25.

India’s defence exports grew 32.5% last fiscal and crossed the ₹21,000-crore mark for the first time as the country remains focussed on boosting the indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem as well as military exports, the defence ministry said on April 1.

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