Philippines- India relations
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Contents |
Defence cooperation
Dec 30, 2023: The Times of India
Chinese military irked by Indian Navy drill with Philippines
Beijing : Peeved over the recent naval exercises between the navies of India and Philippines in the disputed South China Sea, Chinese military on Thursday said defence cooperation between different countries should not harm the interests of third countries and regional peace.
Answering a question from Chi nese media about naval exercises between an Indian naval ship and the Philippines naval vessel besides plans by France to hold naval and air drills with Philippine Navy, spokesman of Chinese defence ministry senior colonel Wu Qian said China has taken note of the reports. China has always emphasised that defence and security cooperation between relevant countries must not harm the interests of third parties or hurt regional peace & stability, he said.
China is getting restive about military cooperation between Philippines and other countries as its coastguard ships recently involved face-offs with Philippines navy vessels to assert Beij ing’s control over the parts of the disputed South China Sea, also claimed by Manila. The Philippines Navy this month alleged that the Chinese ships used water cannons to attack its ships. China claims most of the South China Sea. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have made counterclaims over the area. PTI
Defence Technology
BrahMos cruise missiles
2022
Rajat Pandit, January 28, 2022: The Times of India
New Delhi: India on Friday inked the $375 million (Rs 2,770 crore) contract to export BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines, which will pave the way for more such deals with the country as well as other Asean countries like Indonesia and Vietnam.
This first-ever contract to export the 290-km range missiles, which has been developed jointly with Russia, is strategically significant in the backdrop of China’s strong-arm tactics with its neighbours like Philippines in the South China Sea as well as an important milestone in India’s quest to become a major arms exporter.
The contract, under which three missile batteries of the shore based anti-ship version will be delivered within two years, was inked by Philippines secretary of national defence Delfin Lorenzana and BrahMos Aerospace chief Atul D Rane.
“Today marks a decisive step forward for PM Modi’s SAGAR (policy) and India’s IndoPacific engagement…We are one step closer to elevating ties between our democracies to a strategic partnership and our shared objective of a free and peaceful Indo-Pacific,” said Indian ambassador to Philippines Shambhu Kumaran.
Lorenzana said BrahMos as the world’s fastest cruise missile will provide deterrence against any attempt to undermine his country’s sovereignty and rights, especially in West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
While this contract is for the Philippines Navy, India is negotiating another bigger contract with the country’s Army as well. Similarly, talks for exporting the air-breathing BrahMos missiles to Indonesia are also in an advanced stage, as was reported earlier by TOI.
UAE, Saudi Arabia and South Africa are among other countries that have shown an interest in acquiring the BrahMos missiles. India also plans to sell the indigenous Akash missile systems to Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kenya and Algeria.
2024: delivered
Amrita Nayak Dutta, April 20, 2024: The Indian Express
An IAF C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft and a chartered aircraft delivered the missile system to the Philippines Marine Corps. Sources said three batteries of the weapon system would be deployed by the Philippines in their coastal area amid tensions with China in the South China Sea.
Defence sources said that deliveries of some of the missile storage facility items had begun last month, but the actual deliveries of the missiles began.
The deal for a shore-based variant of an anti-ship cruise missile marked India’s first major export order. The missile has a range of around 290 km.
BrahMos Aerospace is a joint venture between Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya.
The supersonic cruise missile has been operationalised in all three wings of the Indian armed forces.
Eyeing more exports
Brahmos Aerospace Pvt Ltd is looking to export the missile system and its compact next generation version BrahMos NG to at least 10 countries including South Africa, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt.
BrahMos NG is a next-generation smaller, lighter version of the weapon system which can be deployed on a range of military platforms. The trials for it were scheduled to be held in the first half of 2024.
Work has been underway to upgrade the range of the existing BrahMos missiles from 290 km to 500 km for land attacks and 400 km for ship attacks. Electronic counter-counter measures are also part of the other upgrades being carried out.
Last month, the Ministry of Defence signed contracts with BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited to procure BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and procurement of ship-borne BrahMos systems at a cost of Rs 19,518.65 crore and Rs 988.07 crore respectively.
South China Sea
India backs the Philippines/ 2024
March 27, 2024: The Times of India
Amid increasing ChinaPhilippines tensions in South China Sea (SCS), foreign minister S Jaishankar Tuesday backed the southeast Asian country’s efforts to uphold its sovereignty after a meeting with his counterpart Enrique Manalo in Manila. The meet took place a day after the Philippines protested China’s “aggressive actions” in the South China Sea. EAM’s remark riled China, as its foreign ministry said maritime disputes are issues between the countries and third parties have no right to interfere.
