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Supplies of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles from India to the Philippines under a USD 375 million deal, continue as part of the contract between the two nations, defence officials said.
The missile system supplies reached at an air base in Manila from India in a chartered Ilyushin-76 transport aircraft on Sunday, they said. Officials from India and the Philippines are receiving the first batch of equipment supplied to that country as part of the contract, defence officials said. Notably, India delivered the first lot of the supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines on April 19, as part of the deal signed in 2022. The Indian Air Force had sent its American-origin C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft with the missiles to the Philippines to deliver the weapon system to the Philippines' Marine Corps, according to defence sources. The export of ground systems for the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system along with the missiles started last month itself, they said. The Philippines is taking delivery of the missile systems at a time when tensions between them and China have escalated owing to frequent clashes in the South China Sea. The three batteries of the BrahMos missile system would be deployed by the Philippines in their coastal areas to guard against any threat in the region. The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, a joint venture between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russian Federation's NPO Mashinostroyeniya, is said to be one of the most successful missile programs in the world. Acknowledged as the foremost and swiftest precision-guided weapon on a global scale, BRAHMOS has played a pivotal role in enhancing India's deterrence capabilities. The Indian Army has integrated multiple BrahMos regiments into its arsenal since 2007. (ANI)
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