In the disputed South China Sea, the Philippines is in warm achievement of more India-made BrahMos hypersonic cruise weapons to point at China in the disputed area.
By 2026, the Philippine Marine Corps ( PMC) intends to add two additional shore-based supersonic anti-ship missile batteries to its coastal defenses, according to WION.
Three BrahMos batteries, each armed with four missiles and three rockets capable of striking target up to 290 meters away, are currently scheduled to arrive in the PMC. The acquisition, the WION document information, significantly enhances the Philippines ‘ ability to deter and store coastal challenges.
WION claims that the Philippines ‘ potential additional purchase would raise India’s defense exports and strengthen the marketability of the BrahMos missile in the midst of a burgeoning South Asian arms race.
The Philippine Army ( PA ) might also think about getting the missiles, which might allow it to be equipped for land and naval battles, according to the report.
WION praises the BrahMos missile’s high speed and longer range, which help strengthen the Philippines ‘ coastal defense skills and increase its ability to withstand maritime challenges.
The Philippines and India’s security partnership has gotten stronger as a result of Delhi’s clashes with China in the Himalayas and Manila’s conflicts with China in the South China Sea, according to the report.
It states that the Philippines must immediately start supplying Multirole missiles in order to stop China’s forceful actions in the South China Sea, providing a reliable barrier and protection ability to assert its sovereignty and rights in the West Philippine Sea.
In the midst of tense and tense relations with China, India’s decision to trade the Icbm missile to the Philippines represents a geopolitical shift, according to WION.
In June 2024, Asia Times reported that the Philippines is strengthening its defenses in the South China Sea by constructing a foundation for its recently acquired BrahMos weapons, which India provided in a landmark US$ 375 million offer.
Situated at the Naval Station Leovigildo Gantioqui in Zambales, Western Luzon, the basic overlooks the disputed waters and is poised to house BrahMos weapon chargers capable of striking the China-occupied, Philippine-claimed Scarborough Shoal.
However, the Philippines faces significant challenges also with US shared defense guarantees. For one, Manila lacks long-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance ( ISR ) capabilities and over-the-horizon ( OTH) radar.
Second, it relies on a small fleet of flimsy drones and aircraft for ISR things, which could reduce the range of its Largest rockets to a few hundred meters in a situation involving a Chinese issue.
Additionally, the Philippines may have to choose between protecting military installations like its Largest missile basic and important facilities and population areas due to its lack of air defense assets.
Operational challenges, such as China’s grey zone warfare tactics, the Philippines ‘ vulnerability to the naval blockade, and its inability to internally manufacture Largest weapons to sustain its reserves, could further undermine the deterrent effect of its BrahMos weapons.
Manila’s expectations of the US, with which it shares a mutual defense treaty, in a potential China conflict at sea are unclear.
However, the US’s muted response to the Philippines ‘ maritime standoff in June 2024 may underlie a foregoned belief that Washington will not run into Beijing over controversial features that the Philippines claimed in the South China Sea.
The US sold out the Philippines to China in June 2024, as demonstrated by its failure to assist with the 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff and its refusal to impose with military might the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s (PCA ) ruling in favor of the Philippines over their disputed South China Sea claims.
However, additional BrahMos missiles can address one of the Philippines ‘ key weaknesses as a potential US ally in a potential Taiwan conflict: being within the reach of Mischief Reef, Fiery Cross Reef, and Subi Reef’s occupied sea features ‘ significant power projection and strike capabilities.
According to an interactive map created by the Center for Strategic and International Studies ( CSIS), cruise missiles, bombers, and fighter aircraft with ranges that span the entire Philippines and the South China Sea can be found in Mischief Reef, Fiery Cross Reef, and Subi Reef.
Even if it is capable of brushing off and covertly bribing away the Philippines ‘ concerns about hosting foreign troops, such a vulnerability could be a significant reason why the US has chosen to not push to re-establish permanent military bases in the country after closing them in 1991.
According to their Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement ( EDCA ), which opened more bases in the Philippines to US bases under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the US currently rotates troops and equipment through the Philippines.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP ) reported this month that China has been practiced strikes on US F-22 and F-35 mockups in the Taklamakan Desert, ostensibly practicing how to kill those fighters in a preemptive strike, underscoring that vulnerability.
US forces stationed in the Philippines under the auspices of EDCA could quickly be in China’s line of fire, with US and Philippine aircraft destroyed on the ground in a potential surprise attack on EDCA sites like Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, Basa Air Base in Pampanga, and Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu.
However, additional BrahMos missile sites in Palawan might be able to target Chinese military installations and parked aircraft on Mischief Reef, Fiery Cross Reef, and Subi Reef, thereby putting people at risk and preventing a preemptive strike on US forces in the Philippines.
If the Philippines decides to purchase more BrahMos missiles, it will signal to US and allies that it is no longer as helpless as it appears in relation to China’s overwhelming military might.
A purchase like this would demonstrate that the Philippines is a reputable forward operating base and that US and allies may be justified in funding a bigger military presence on its soil.
The US might be able to strengthen Manila’s defenses while avoiding a confrontation with China by providing targeting data to the Philippines ‘ BrahMos batteries. However, it’s possible that no number of BrahMos missiles will be able to assist the Philippines in combating China’s aggressive gray zone tactics.
According to SCMP, China has begun to pursue more “darker gray” strategies against the Philippines, including actions that have caused its maritime militia and law enforcement to board, obstruct, and ram the Philippines ‘ occupied features in the area.
These actions, according to SCMP, remain below the threshold of an armed conflict while placing the Philippines in a delicate balance between de-escalation and making a mistake that China might use as a justification for further aggression, which might lead to additional territorial losses for the Philippines.