Context:
Recently, India delivered the first batch of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines.
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- The Philippines signed a $374.96-million deal with BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited in January 2022 for three batteries of shore-based, anti-ship variant of the BrahMos becoming the first export customer for the joint venture missile between India and Russia.
- The Philippines is acquiring the systems under Horizon 2 of the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Programme.
- An Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster jet carried the cruise missiles from India to the Philippines. It is the first instance of India exporting the BrahMos missile.
- 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.
- As the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missiles, the BrahMos missiles will provide deterrence against any attempt to undermine sovereignty and sovereign rights, especially in the West Philippine Sea.
- Several countries, including Argentina, have expressed interest in acquiring BrahMos systems and discussions are in advanced stages with Indonesia and Thailand among others.
About BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles
- It is formed as a joint venture between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya.
- The missile derives its name from the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers.
- It is capable of being launched from land, sea, sub-sea, and air against surface and sea-based targets and has been long inducted by the Indian armed forces.
- It is the first supersonic cruise missile known to be in service. Induction of the first version of the Brahmos Weapon Complex in the Indian Navy commenced from 2005.
- The range of the missile was originally capped at 290 km with supersonic speed as per obligations of the Missile Technology Control Regime.
- It is a two-stage missile with a solid propllent booster engine as its first stage which brings it to supersonic speed and then gets separated. The Liquid ramjet or the second stage then takes the missile closer to 3 Mach speed in cruise phase.
- It operates on the ‘Fire and Forget Principle’, adopting. Its cruising altitude could be up to 15 km and terminal altitude is as low as 10 meters. It carries a conventional warhead weighing 200 to 300 kg.
About Cruise Missile
- Cruise missiles are unmanned vehicles that are propelled by jet engines, much like an airplane.
- They can be launched from ground, air, or sea platforms.
- It remains within the atmosphere for the duration of their flight and can fly as low as a few meters off the ground.
- Flying low to the surface of the earth expends more fuel but makes a cruise missile very difficult to detect.
India’s Status in defence export
- Defence exports touch record ₹21,083 crore in FY 2023-24, an increase of 32.5% from the previous year’s exports of ₹15,918 crore.
- India sets annual defence exports worth Rs 50,000 cr by 2028-29.