The Philippines recently displayed the lethal BrahMos anti-ship cruise missile in a video, marking the first public unveiling of its operational supersonic anti-ship missile battery.
The Philippine Marine Corps reportedly unveiled a new anti-ship missile unit equipped with BrahMos cruise missiles. The missile was officially unveiled for the first time to mark the Marines’ 75th anniversary.
The video chronicled the service’s history and featured footage of Marines quickly deploying the BrahMos, showcasing their preparedness and skill with the cutting-edge supersonic system.
In the video, each launcher was seen equipped with two BrahMos missiles, while the reloading carrier had an additional four. As noted by the Coastal Defense Regiment, each Philippine Marine Corps BrahMos battery will have two mobile autonomous launchers, one radar vehicle, a missile reloader, and a command and control truck.
Incidentally, the video was published after China commissioned its newest aircraft carrier, Fujian, in a ceremony held in Sanya, Hainan Province, in the South China Sea. The induction of the indigenously-produced flattop is seen as a major upgrade in the capability of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) forces.
The Philippines signed a US$375 million deal with India for three batteries of the shore-based, anti-ship variant of the BrahMos missile, becoming the first export customer of this lethal, combat-tested weapon.
Boasting BrahMos: Philippines Unveils Its First Missile Battery pic.twitter.com/r7ZM1NcDpj
— RT_India (@RT_India_news) November 8, 2025
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 hasn’t been officially confirmed, but it’s expected in the second half of 2025.
The shore-based BrahMos batteries provide rapid-response capabilities to counter potential threats from hostile vessels or amphibious operations, and are aimed at deterring an increasingly aggressive China, which claims nearly the entire South China Sea as its sovereign territory based on the so-called nine-dash line.
The deployment of BrahMos is part of Manila’s efforts to build capability against China amid fears that the frequent showdowns between the two sides could spiral into a bigger conflict.
Deterring China With BrahMos
Notably, the BrahMos missile has been deployed by the Marines at a military base facing the South China Sea, as Naval News reported earlier. The publication analysed satellite imagery to conclude that the Philippine government was building a BrahMos site at the Philippine Naval Station Leovigildo Gantioqui in Zambales, on the coast of Western Luzon.
This site has been chosen by the US and Filipino forces to demonstrate capability against China. Earlier, during the annual Balikatan drills of 2023, a US Army High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, launched live fire tests at Naval Station Leovigildo Gantioqui and a coastal defense exercise in Palawan.
The US Typhon Mid Range Capability (MRC) missile system, which is capable of firing Tomahawk and SM-6 long-range missiles, was also deployed to Luzon Island.
Separately, during this year’s Kamandag exercise, the Marines’ Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, or NMESIS, made its Philippine debut in April, operating in Batanes, a collection of islands between Taiwan and Luzon.
Luzon is strategically vital for the Philippines due to its proximity to Taiwan and its position within the “first island chain,” making it a critical maritime chokepoint. The channel is likely to be used by China in the case of an invasion.
This geographical proximity has given rise to fears that the Philippines would be dragged into a conflict with China if it were to invade Taiwan, which is very likely, given China’s vow to unite the island state with the mainland.
While the Philippines has made no bones about its non-interest in entering any conflict involving Taiwan, it has been ramping up its defenses to protect itself against a potential Chinese threat. The deployment is most likely part of a broader effort to build deterrence amid burgeoning tensions in the region.
The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, jointly developed by India and Russia, is one of the world’s fastest anti-ship weapons, capable of speeds up to Mach 3 and a range of approximately 290 kilometers.
It will enable the Philippines to effectively defend its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), including contested areas like Scarborough Shoal—a disputed feature occupied by China since 2012, where clashes between Philippine and Chinese vessels have intensified in recent times.
The distance between Zambales and Scarborough Shoal is merely 220 kilometres. The missile has the range to neutralize Chinese Coast Guard or militia vessels enforcing Beijing’s “nine-dash line” at the disputed shoal, in case of a military contingency.
The supersonic speed of the missile and its 200-300-kilogram warhead ensure rapid, precise strikes, reducing the enemy’s reaction time and increasing the hit probability against moving targets like warships. During the terminal phase, the missile can fly as low as 10 meters to the ground, and in the final phase, it relies on an active radar seeker or inertial guidance.
While the’ overall military capability of the Philippines remains grossly outmatched by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the BrahMos introduces asymmetric deterrence focused on anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) tactics. It addresses the country’s military weaknesses and vulnerabilities in sea control and coastal and island defense operations.
If a battery is deployed to Palawan, the missile would even be able to target assets near Mischief Reef (only 239 kilometers from Palawan), a militarized artificial island controlled by the People’s Liberation Army.
The former Philippine Secretary of National Defense, Delfin Lorenzana, earlier said that the missiles “will provide deterrence against any attempt to undermine our sovereignty and sovereign rights” in the West Philippine Sea. The sentiment has been echoed by the current Filipino Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who has repeatedly highlighted the BrahMos as a “game-changer” for maritime security, emphasizing its role in strengthening the Philippine Marine Corps’ Coastal Defense Regiment.
It is believed that the system’s versatility could pave the way for future integration with Philippine naval, land, or air platforms. In fact, previous reports suggested that Manila was looking to supplement the BrahMos purchase with another order for the Army. This would further augment the military’s combat power while ensuring interoperability.
India used another variant of the BrahMos missile earlier this year during the four-day hostilities with Pakistan.
The Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said in August 2025 that the country is “in the process of acquiring more” missile systems from India. “I’ve talked to the officers and men who run the BrahMos system, and they say we need more,” he said without elaborating on what the purchase would entail.
Notably, the missile’s lethality could be gauged by Beijing’s reaction to its deployment. It had earlier expectedly rebuked the construction of the first BrahMos base in Zambales, calling it a “gauntlet” thrown at China and warning it could lead to miscalculations in disputed areas.
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