Philippines to receive second batch of BrahMos missile system from India

The expected arrival of the missile system will be the second of three BrahMos missile batteries Manila agreed to purchase under a 2022 deal with Brahmos Aerospace worth $375 million. The first batch arrived in April 2024.

The BrahMos, which has a range of 290 km and can be fired from land, sea and submarine, is part of the Philippine military's modernisation programme.

The second missile battery delivery comes at a time when diplomatic and security ties between Manila and Beijing are strained due to frequent clashes in the South China Sea, which China claims mostly as its own, and recently accusations of espionage.

Teodoro pushed back strongly against China's recent arrest of three Filipinos accused of spying, calling the allegations implausible.

Chinese authorities arrested three Filipinos and accused them of working for the Philippine intelligence agency to gather classified information on its military, the state-run China Daily reported on April 3, citing state security officials. It said the three had confessed to the crime.

Teodoro also rejected assertions the Philippine government is fuelling anti-Chinese sentiment, saying that if such sentiment exist, the blame lies with the Chinese Communist Party.