Philippines eyes additional defense purchases from India – Army Chief

Manila is enthusiastic about weapons from the country, Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. has said

The Philippines will seek to purchase military equipment from India when President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr, visits New Delhi this week, the head of Manila's military has said.

The island nation became the first outside India to buy the BrahMos missile system, when it signed a $375 million deal with the Indo-Russian joint venture in 2022 for three BrahMos batteries.

A battery typically includes multiple launchers, command posts, and associated equipment, that are designed for land, sea, or air-based deployment.

”We are in fact ordering more equipment and weapon systems from India,” Army Chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. told the Philippines News Agency (PNA) in an interview on Friday. He did not specify what the island nation would be procuring due to security reasons, the news agency said.

Brawner added that Indian weapons are affordable and of high quality. “That's why it's good for us to partner with India,” he said.

The first BrahMos batteries were delivered from India to the Philippines in April 2024, according to PNA.

Philippines President Marcos has arrived in New Delhi for a five-day visit. During his talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he will discuss cooperation in areas such as trade, defense, maritime affairs, agriculture, healthcare, and technology. 

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The countries collaborate at the regional level through initiatives like India's partnership with ASEAN, India’s foreign ministry said in a statement. 

Just before Marcos departed for his India visit, three ships from the Indian Navy's Eastern Fleet — the guided-missile destroyer INS Mysore, the anti-submarine corvette INS Kiltan, and the naval tanker INS Shakti — arrived in Manila for a port visit. This was a part of their ongoing operational deployment to South East Asia.

The visit includes a maritime exercise between the two navies to improve preparedness and strengthen cooperation, at a time when the Philippines has a maritime dispute with China in what Manila calls the West Philippine Sea and Beijing calls the South China Sea.