Indian industry delegation visits Philippines to boost defence modernization tie-up

An Indian delegation is currently in the Philippines to showcase homegrown military technologies and equipment and explore defence industry tie-ups to bolster Manila’s defence modernization efforts reported ET.

The delegation includes representatives from companies such as DCM Shriram Industries Ltd, Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Mahindra Emirates Vehicle Armouring FZ LLC, MKU Limited, and Adani Defence Systems and Technologies Limited.

Their offerings range from aircraft, drones, and helicopters to artificial intelligence-based technologies. India remains committed to assisting the Philippines in enhancing its defence capabilities, and the offer of a Line of Credit (LoC) to support Manila’s defence modernization still stands.

This strengthening of defence ties between India and the Philippines is a significant stride toward mutual cooperation and security enhancement.

In December 2021, the Philippines Ministry of Defence announced that it would purchase a shore-based anti-ship missile system from BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd.

The contract is worth $374 million and is the first time a foreign country has purchased the BrahMos missiles.

As of January 25, 2024, India is set to send ground systems to the Philippines in the next 10 days, and missiles in March.

The first components of the order were scheduled for delivery by the end of December 2023, but were delayed due to strong monsoons.

The BrahMos missiles are a Russian-Indian supersonic ground-based system.

They have a maximum speed of Mach 3, a flight ceiling of 15 km (49,000 ft), and a flight altitude of sea skimming.