India nears deal to expand missile sales to PH, sources say

India is in final-stage talks to expand its sale of supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters, as New Delhi nears completion of deliveries under a 2022 deal.

The Philippines is expected to buy about five BrahMos systems, nearly 60 missiles in total, in a deal potentially worth $700 million to $800 million, two of the Indian sources said.

"Manila has shown interest again to procure about 5 systems of the BrahMos and they now view India as a very reliable partner," one Indian source said.

New Delhi's latest likely deal with the Philippines, which is modernising its military and strengthening coastal defences as tensions rise in the disputed South China Sea, is much higher than the last $375 million order of BrahMos for naval use.

BrahMos, developed jointly by India and Russia, is among the world's fastest cruise missiles and can be launched ​from land, sea and air platforms.

Arsenio Andolong, Philippines defence ministry spokesperson, told Reuters that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr had expressed his desire to acquire additional BrahMos missiles. Andolong did not offer more details.

Speaking virtually at the Delhi Defence Dialogue on Wednesday, Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the Philippines hoped to secure more BrahMos units and had shared a wish list with Indian authorities to make the system more tailored to the Philippine environment.

Reuters is the first to report the size and value of the deal.

The additional purchase comes at a time when Manila is building its military strength as tension escalates with Beijing on overlapping claims in the South China Sea, where the two countries have clashed in recent years.

India's defence and ​foreign ministries, as well as missile maker BrahMos Aerospace, did not respond to requests for comment.

Interest in the BrahMos system has increased since last year's four-day conflict between India and Pakistan, when India used the weapons system for the first time in battle.

In July, Delhi announced the supply of BrahMos missiles to Indonesia and has also signed a deal with Vietnam. It is in talks on the system with a number of other countries including UAE, Thailand, South Africa and Brazil.

India's defence exports for the fiscal year to March reached 384.24 billion rupees ($4.11 billion), ​a jump of more than 62% from the ‌same period the year before, government data showed.

-Reporting by Saurabh Sharma in New Delhi and Karen Lema in Manila; Editing by Kate Mayberry/Reuters