The Philippine Army has expressed interest in acquiring India’s BrahMos missile which is regarded as the world’s fastest supersonic missile.
Philippine Army (MANILA BULLETIN)
This was revealed just as Major General Reynaldo Aquino, Army vice commander, toured recently the Indian Navy Ship (INS) Sahyadri which was docked at Pier 15 in South Harbor, Manila.
Aquino was welcomed by the INS team led by Captain Ashwin Arvind, commanding officer of Sahyadri.
One of the topics discussed by the two officials was Army’s possible acquisition of the BrahMos missile which can be launched from a ship, an aircraft, submarine or by land.
“The Philippine Army is interested in acquiring this type of missile as it will strengthen our coastal defense operations,” said Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala, Army spokesperson.
According to BrahMos Aerospace, the BrahMos missile has a flight range of 290 km with a supersonic speed all through the flight, thus, leading to shorter flight time and ensuring lower dispersion of targets, quicker engagement time and non-interception by any known weapon system in the world.
If made possible, the acquisition would complement the Army’s recent activation of its 1st Land-based Missile System Battery (1LBMS Btry) last October 3.
The 1LBMS Btry was placed under the supervision of the Army Artillery Regiment (AAR) and is expected to augment the troops’ firepower in large-scale armed confrontation, and for internal defense and security engagements.
The missile unit aims to “deny areas of enemy approach as well as suppress their air capabilities.”
This, as the Army — the largest of the three major services in the Philippine military — aims to advance its coordination with the Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force in safeguarding the country from external threats in line with the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) Integrated Missile Defense System program.
“The Philippine Army puts premium in upgrading the various areas of its defense capabilities as it plays a vital role in addressing external threats,” Zagala said.
“We ensure the Filipino people that we are on a continuous endeavor of becoming a world-class Army ready to protect our country,” he added.
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