India Nears $800 Million BrahMos Missile Deal With the Philippines

India is in final stage talks to sell the Philippines about five more BrahMos missile systems, nearly 60 missiles in total, in a deal that could be worth $700 million to $800 million, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing three sources with direct knowledge of the talks.

The new order would be more than double the size of the $375 million BrahMos deal the two countries signed in 2022. India is close to completing deliveries under that first contract, the sources said. Reuters was the first to report the size and value of the possible new deal, and the Times of India carried the same figures on Thursday.

What Manila says in public

Philippine officials have confirmed the interest, if not the numbers. Arsenio Andolong, a spokesperson for the Philippine defence ministry, told Reuters that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr had expressed his desire to acquire additional BrahMos missiles. He gave no further details.

Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, speaking online at the Delhi Defence Dialogue on Wednesday, said the Philippines hoped to secure more BrahMos units and had shared a wish list with Indian officials to make the system work better in the Philippine setting.

"Manila has shown interest again to procure about 5 systems of the BrahMos and they now view India as a very reliable partner," one Indian source told Reuters. That quote is from the Reuters report. India's defence and foreign ministries and BrahMos Aerospace did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Why the Philippines wants more

Manila is rebuilding its military and strengthening its coastal defences. The Philippines and China both claim parts of the South China Sea, and their vessels have clashed in recent years in the disputed waterway. Shore based BrahMos batteries give the Philippines a way to threaten ships at long range from its own coastline.

BrahMos, built by a joint venture between India and Russia, is among the fastest cruise missiles in service. It can be launched from land, ships, submarines and aircraft. Interest in the system rose after India used it in combat for the first time during last year's four day conflict with Pakistan, Reuters reported.

A growing export line for India

The Philippines was the first foreign buyer of BrahMos. Since then, India announced in July that it would supply the missiles to Indonesia, and it has signed a deal with Vietnam. Talks are also under way with the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, South Africa and Brazil, Reuters reported.

India's defence exports reached 384.24 billion rupees, about $4.11 billion, in the fiscal year to March. That was a jump of more than 62 percent from the year before, government data cited by Reuters showed.

Nothing has been signed yet. The talks are at a final stage, the sources said, which means the order could still change in size or slip in timing. If it closes at the reported value, it would be one of India's largest single defence export deals, and it would put a second, larger set of Indian built missile batteries on the edge of the South China Sea.