As tensions with China increase, India anticipates selling short-range missiles to the Philippines this year for more than $200 million, according to Indian sources who spoke to Reuters. This will be New Delhi’s second significant defence export agreement with Manila.
According to three sources, the Philippines has expressed interest in the Akash missile system created by India’s defence research organisation and has informed New Delhi that it will place an order in the fiscal year that starts in April.
Due to the delicate nature of the subject, all of the sources agreed to speak anonymously.
According to the sources, a $230 million contract was made to export the surface-to-air missile system, which has a range of up to 25 kilometres (16 miles), to Armenia last year. The Philippine sale is anticipated to be larger than the Armenian transaction.
They did not, however, disclose the quantity of missiles and related equipment, such as radars, that were used.
The missiles’ maker, India’s Bharat Dynamics Ltd BARA.NS, participated in the Asian Defence and Security Exhibition in Manila last year as an exhibitor.
Requests for response were not immediately answered by the business or India’s defence minister.
Arsenio Andolong, a spokesman for the Philippine defence, stated that the nation’s military had “manifested it requires these capabilities” but declined to comment on the details of any agreement or intentions for procurement.
The anticipated agreement would come after India sold the Philippines the mid-range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile in 2022 for $375 million.
The acquisition coincides with Manila’s efforts to bolster its military might as tensions rise with Beijing over overlapping claims in the South China Sea, a busy waterway where the two have fought in previous years.
After their troops clashed on the Himalayan border in 2020, India, the largest buyer of weapons in the world, is increasing defence exports and domestic manufacture to offset China’s military might and influence in its vicinity.
In the fiscal year that concluded in March 2024, India’s exports of defence equipment, such as weapons and ammunition, increased by almost 150 percent since 2020 to surpass $2.40 billion.
Its military exports, however, fall well short of those of China, the fourth-largest arms exporter in the world, and behind those of countries like South Korea and Australia.
The head of the Philippines’ armed forces stated on Wednesday that the nation is seeking to upgrade its armament by purchasing more BrahMos missiles from India and at least two submarines.
In a speech to Philippine business leaders, General Romeo Brawner stated, “We are getting more of this (BrahMos system) this year, and in the coming years,” although he made no reference to the Akash missile system.
