BrahMos For Philippines: India's Symbolic Win In the Choppy Indo-Pacific

A new phase in India's defence ties with the Philippines commenced last week when the Indian Air Force handed the first batch of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines. Manila had first expressed its interest in 2019, with a $375 million contract signed in 2022 for the supply of three batteries of the shore-based, anti-ship variant of the BrahMos to the Philippines by BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd, an Indo-Russian joint venture. Apart from two missile launchers, a radar and a command-and-control centre, the pact includes an integrated logistics support package and training for those manning the systems.

This is a major boost for Delhi-Manila ties. But the significance of this goes beyond the bilateral as India seeks to enhance its presence as a credible defence partner in Southeast Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific. Moreover, this also showcases the growing salience of India's domestic defence manufacturing base, which has been coming into its own as part of the wider 'Make in India' programme launched by the Modi government.

Under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Philippines is recalibrating its foreign policy priorities and moving away from the China-dominated outlook of his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte. Facing an aggressive China, Manila is reaching out and building substantive new partnerships that can give it enough space to manoeuvre. Manila is pursuing a multi-aligned foreign policy strategy, prioritising the strengthening and diversification of security and economic ties with both traditional and non-traditional allies. This approach is aimed at increasing its strategic options in a fluid regional and global geopolitical environment, particularly in response to increasing pressures from Beijing in the West Philippine Sea. Though the United States continues to be the primary security partner for the Philippines, it has now become imperative for Manila to broaden the ambit of its external partnerships.

Underlining the acquisition of BrahMos cruise missiles as a "significant game-changer", the Philippines views them as essential in pushing back against Chinese expansionist claims in the West Philippine Sea by bolstering the nation's coastal