India has signed an agreement with the Philippines for the sale of “defense material and equipment”, which is seen as a euphemism to include BrahMos cruise missiles. The BrahMos PJ-10 is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarine, ships, aircraft, or land. The Brahmos now has a range of 25o miles and a top speed of Mach 2.8.
The Philippines Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana witnessed the signing ceremony on last Tuesday and was more specific, “We are buying the BrahMos missiles.”
The country is the first customer for this missile and is expected to deploy as a defense against potential aggression from China. India has the Brahmos deployed on its land border with China and has also installed an air-launched version on its Su-30 fighters.
