New Delhi: India on Tuesday signed a key pact with the Philippines for the sale of “defence material and equipment”, which are likely to include BrahMos cruise missiles.
Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who was also present at the pact’s signing ceremony in Manila, has reportedly said that his country is buying BrahMos missiles.
Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) said on Facebook on Tuesday that Defence Undersecretary Raymundo Elefante and India’s Ambassador to the Philippines Shambu S. Kumaran signed an “implementing arrangement” for “procurement of defence material and equipment”.
The Facebook post said Lorenzana was also present at the signing ceremony.
“We are buying the BrahMos missiles,” Lorenzana was quoted as saying by The Straits Times. There was no statement from the Indian side.
India and Russia have been planning to export the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile to the Philippines and several other countries, Russian Deputy Chief of Mission in India Roman Babushkin had said on November 12 in an online briefing. The BrahMos missile is produced by an Indo-Russian joint venture and it can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or from land platforms.