China’s regional rivals, the Philippines and Japan, are now deploying some very deadly, long-range missiles to challenge the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) forces in the South and East China Sea, respectively.
The CEO and Managing Director of the BrahMos Aerospace Joint Venture, which produces the BrahMos missile, Jaiteerth Joshi, told Russian reporters that the Philippines is due to receive the third batch of the supersonic cruise missiles from India shortly.
”The rockets are ready. We will deliver them on time,” Joshi said, without giving a date by which the delivery will be made.
The Philippines signed a US$375 million deal with India for three batteries of the shore-based, anti-ship variant of the BrahMos missile for its naval forces. The first batch of missiles was delivered by New Delhi last year and has already been inducted into the Philippine Marine Corps, whereas the second batch arrived in the country in April 2025, as confirmed by the Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro.
The delivery of the third batch would conclude the order, significantly bolstering the coastal capabilities of the Philippines against maritime threats, particularly from China. Moreover, some reports indicated that the Philippine Army was considering more batteries under the Horizon 3 military modernisation program for land-based coastal defense.
Deployed by the Philippine Marine Corps Coastal Defense Regiment, the shore-based BrahMos batteries would provide rapid-response capabilities to counter potential threats from hostile vessels or amphibious operations.
This acquisition of BrahMos by the Philippines is aimed at deterring China, which claims almost the entire sea as its sovereign territory (based on the nine-dash line) and remains embroiled in tensions with multiple Southeast Asian countries with competing claims.
With its 290 kilometres range and Mach 2.8 speed, the BrahMos missile will enable the Philippines to effectively defend its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), including contested areas like Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands that have frequently been a scene of confrontation between the Philippines and the Chinese Coast Guard.
The supersonic speed of the missile and 200-300 kilograms warhead ensure rapid, precise strikes, reducing the enemy’s reaction time and increasing hit probability against moving targets like warships. Additionally, the mobile autonomous launchers would allow for flexible deployment across the Philippines’ terrain, enhancing responsiveness in an emergency.
Filipino Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has highlighted the BrahMos as a “game-changer” for maritime security, emphasizing its role in strengthening the Philippine Marine Corps’ Coastal Defense Regiment.
While currently shore-based, the system’s versatility could pave the way for future integration with Philippine naval, land, or air platforms.
It is perhaps due to its lethality that China has expressed strong opposition to the Philippines’ acquisition and deployment of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. It lodged a formal objection upon the first delivery last year, labeling the deal a provocative move that heightens tensions, and accused Manila of an “arms race” when the second delivery was made in April 2025.
Moreover, it rebuked the building of the first BrahMos base in Zambales, saying that it is a “gauntlet” thrown at China and warning it could lead to miscalculations in disputed areas.
Missiles In Japan To Anger China
Japan and its most steadfast ally, the United States, kicked off the two-week ‘Resolute Dragon’ military drills that will see the deployment of two missiles that China detests: the NMESIS (Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System) and the Mid-Range Capability (MRC) or Typhon missile system.
Resolute Dragon is an annual bilateral military training exercise conducted between the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). The 2025 iteration of the drills will run from September 11 to 25.
According to a US Marine Corps press release, Japan’s Type 12 surface-to-surface missiles and the US’s Typhon and NMESIS missiles would be used in the combined drills. The missile systems with different ranges provide a “layered” capability to “protect critical waterways, defend key terrain, and project power from ashore,” the release said.
China has already communicated its opposition to the deployment of Typhon MRC. “The US and Japan should respect other countries’ security concerns and must not bring in the ‘Typhon’ intermediate-range missile system,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in late August.
The Typhon will be at the Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni on Japan’s main island of Honshu. However, it is currently unclear whether a live-fire test will be conducted during the exercise.
Notably, this is the third deployment of this potent intermediate-range missile system in the contentious Indo-Pacific region. Before Japan, the Typhoon had been deployed to the Philippines and Australia, as earlier reported by the EurAsian Times in detail.
The Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) system is a mobile, ground-launched missile system intended to deliver long-range, precise strikes in contested environments. There are four launchers in a Typhon battery, and each one can carry four missiles simultaneously. This means the missile system can fire a salvo of 16 missiles before it needs to be reloaded.
The Typhon particularly stands out for its versatility. It can fire two different yet very lethal missiles: SM-6 and Tomahawk cruise missiles. While the SM-6 missiles can successfully combat air and sea threats at ranges of more than 200 kilometers (165 miles), the Tomahawk cruise missiles can reach targets up to 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles).
Positioned in Japan, the MRC could enable rapid, long-range strikes deep into Chinese territory, including military installations, naval assets, or command centers, potentially in a hypothetical conflict over Taiwan, the South China Sea, or the East China Sea. For perspective, the distance between Iwakuni (where the system is to be deployed) and the Chinese city of Shanghai is less than 700 kilometres across the East China Sea.
The other missile system—NMESIS—can launch sea-skimming missiles at naval targets from a range of roughly 185 kilometers.
Though it appears to be a compact, unmanned truck, the NMESIS is a precision-strike platform that merges the lethality of the Naval Strike Missile with the mobility of the ROGUE Fires vehicle—a JLTV-based launcher capable of autonomous movement and rapid redeployment.
NMESIS is designed not merely for coastal defense but for dynamic sea denial, and unlike traditional missile batteries, which are heavy, static, and manpower-intensive, NMESIS is lightweight, mobile, and minimally manned.
The Okinawa-based US 3rd Marine Division, responsible for operations along the first island chain, announced last week that it has been training on the NMESIS since the missile system’s arrival on July 10.
The Miyako Strait, off the coast of Okinawa, is one of the first island chain’s most important waterways and provides a crucial entry point for Chinese naval deployments into the Philippine Sea on the eastern side of the first island chain.
The NMESIS provides “a mobile, long-range and precise anti-ship capability,” enhancing the capacity to defend vital waterways and project force from land while offering an island defense system that can be quickly deployed, said the 3rd Marine Division.
Furthermore, it highlighted that NMESIS also provides an opportunity to conduct exercises to protect and safeguard key maritime areas, including refining critical operational procedures such as launcher survival and executing notional fire missions.
It remains unclear whether the NMESIS will conduct any live-fire exercises or remain deployed on Okinawa Island beyond the current training period.
China has had a more muted response to the deployment of the NMESIS as compared to that of Typhon. However, Chinese experts have cautioned that the deployment of the NMESIS could complicate war planning for any conflict over Taiwan, said the Japan Times.
Nonetheless, the deployment of the Typhon and NMESIS to Japan after a similar deployment of both these systems to the Philippines indicates that the US is preparing to boost firepower in the region and is preparing for a potential contingency by collaborating with its regional allies.
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