BrahMos Shore-Based Anti-Ship Missile System [SBASMS]
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said December 10, 2019 the country can support the acquisition of medium-range ramjet supersonic BrahMos cruise missiles, which are being eyed by the Philippine Army (PA) for coastal defense missions. "There is money for it as per our modernization program," the defense chief said in a message late Monday, when asked on whether the Philippines can support or provide funds for the acquisition of the missiles which was jointly developed by Russia and India.
The contract signing for the medium-range ramjet supersonic BrahMos cruise missiles, which are being eyed for coastal defense missions of the Philippine Army (PA), will be signed by the early part of 2020, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said December 17, 2019. He made this announcement when asked about the possibility of the Philippines having the missile on its inventory. "Signing of the contract will be in 2020. Possibly on the first or second quarter," Lorenzana said in Filipino.
When asked on how many BrahMos units the Philippines will be acquiring, the DND chief said "two batteries". A missile battery is equivalent to three mobile autonomous launchers with two or three missile tubes each. Aside from the PA, the DND chief said the weapons can also be used by the Philippine Air Force. Lorenzana said the procurement will be via "government-to-government mode".
The medium-range ramjet supersonic BrahMos cruise missile system is the ideal weapon for the planned shore-based anti-ship missile project of the Philippine Navy (PN), its chief said March 10, 2021. "The BrahMos Missile and Launching System is the most promising alternative for the Shore-Based Anti-Ship Missile System as assessed by the PN Technical Working Group," Vice Adm. Giovanni Carlo Bacordo said in a text message to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) when asked whether the PN intends to acquire the Mach 3-capable BrahMos missile for its inventory.
Bacordo said the project is being pursued as part of the Navy's requirements for a credible defense posture as envisioned in its ongoing modernization program. "The project proposal was already presented to the Senior Leaders, however (it is) still for further approval by the Commander-in-Chief and subsequent funding," he added.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the acquisition program for the BrahMos would push through after his department and India's Defense Ministry signed on March 2 the implementing agreement concerning the procurement of defense material and equipment. "As of now, it is a go. The implementing agreement recently signed will facilitate the G2G (government-to-government) mode of procurement," Lorenzana said.
When asked how many BrahMos batteries the country would procure, he answered only one would be acquired. "One battery only. Three systems na yan (it will consist of three systems)," Lorenzana said. A missile battery typically consists of three mobile autonomous launchers with two or three missile tubes each, along with the tracking systems. The BrahMos cruise missile can be launched from a ship, aircraft, submarine, or land and has a top of Mach 3 and capable of carrying warheads weighing 200 kg. to 300 kg.
The acquisition of a land-based missile system is under Horizon Two of the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program, which is slated for 2018 to 2022 and geared for the acquisition of equipment for external defense and has a budget of PHP300 billion.
“It’s a cost-effective solution for the navy to have a sea-denial capability,” retired navy admiral Rommel Jude Ong, now with the Ateneo School of Government in Manila, told BenarNews in March 2021, when the Philippines and India signed an initial agreement for the supply deal. “The BrahMos, with a 290-km [180-mile] range, will provide a defensive buffer across a certain extent of the EEZ. It gives the navy a ‘mission-kill’ option in case of conflict,” he said at the time, referring to Manila’s exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea. Back then, tensions were running high between Manila and Beijing over the presence within the EEZ of some 200 fishing boats believed to be manned by Chinese militias.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on 27 December 2021 released two Special Allotment Release Orders (SAROs) to cover the initial funding requirements of the "Shore-Based Anti-Ship Missile System Acquisition Project of the Philippine Navy under the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program." The first SARO is worth PHP1.3 billion while the second is worth PHP1.535 billion.
On 15 December 2021, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana released a document showing that Manila had approved the acquisition of the land-based missile system for the Philippine Navy from India’s BrahMos Aerospace Private Ltd. “As head of procuring entity (HOPE), I recently signed the Notice of Award for the Philippine Navy Shore-Based Anti-Ship Missile Acquisition Project,” Lorenzana said. “Negotiated with the government of India, it includes the delivery of three batteries, training for operators and maintainers as well as the necessary Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) package.”
The Philippine Navy is not the only buyer of Brahmos Maritime Coastal Batteries. The Philippine Army will also get 2 batteries, if initial funding is released. That brings 5 batteries of supersonic anti-ship missiles, for medium term, and more in long term.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
