2024-02-03 15:02:54
BrahMos supersonic cruise missile owned by the Indian military. India exports three batteries of BrahMos missiles to the Philippines, which is involved in a territorial dispute with China. /DDNational
China, which has dominated the South China Sea with its overwhelming naval power, has faced an ambush. Rival India has begun supplying BrahMos, a supersonic anti-ship cruise missile jointly developed with Russia, to the Philippines, which has a territorial dispute with China.
The BrahMos missile, which reaches a maximum speed of Mach 3, flies erratically at low altitudes, making interception difficult, and has the precision to hit the target within an error range of 1m. It is a weapon like a dagger that can cause Chinese destroyers with a displacement of 4,000 to 6,000 tons to lose their combat power with just one hit.
Over the past few years, China has expanded the scope of its naval activities into the Indian Ocean, including securing ownership of ports in countries such as Pakistan and Myanmar. It has stimulated India by exporting domestically produced fighter jets to Pakistan, India’s archenemy, and sending an oceanographic exploration vessel called a ‘spy ship’ to the Indian Ocean. The supply of supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines appears to be retaliation for this.
◇Low altitude flight at Mach 3 speed… difficult to capture and intercept
India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) announced on January 25 that “shipments of BrahMos missiles under a supply contract with the Philippines are scheduled to begin within 10 days and will arrive in the Philippines in March.” In January 2022, the Philippines signed a contract with BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between India and Russia, to purchase three batteries of BrahMos missiles for $375 million. This is the first volume supplied under this contract.
However, the timing was strange. China and the Philippines have been in conflict over sovereignty over the Spratly Islands (Chinese name: Spratly Islands) since last year. Regarding the construction of Philippine military outposts in the Spratly Islands area, Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, warned on January 25, “If the Philippines continues to have its way, China will resolutely counterattack.” That very day, India suddenly disclosed the fact that it had shipped BrahMos missiles.
The Philippines’ naval power is minimal compared to China’s. It is said that the only missiles that can attack naval ships are spike missiles with a maximum range of 6 km, which are made by modifying anti-tank missiles. The BrahMos being supplied to the Philippines this time is a cutting-edge weapon that cannot be compared to existing missiles. There is a saying in the Philippines that “This is a missile that opened the era of supersonic speeds and will be a game changer.”
BrahMos is a missile developed by improving the Russian Navy’s supersonic anti-ship missile P-800 Onyx and was deployed in 2005. It is equipped with a ramjet engine and reaches a maximum speed of Mach 3, making it the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile. The range is up to 290km, and it flies at a low altitude, making radar detection and interception difficult. Equipped with an inertial navigation system, a satellite navigation system, and an active radar terminal guidance system, it is said to be able to hit the target within a 1m error range while avoiding electromagnetic interference.
◇ “I threw a dagger at the Philippines” Confused
The Indian military uses BrahMos as its main missile, having developed it in a variety of ways, including for ground launch, ship launch, and fighter jet launch. They were also deployed in large numbers to the southern Tibet area, which is involved in a border dispute with China. BrahMos-2, a hypersonic missile capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 8, is also under development. Considering that the unit price of one BrahMos unit is $3.5 million and the total contract size is $375 million, it appears that the Philippines will secure dozens of BrahMos units.
In mid-December last year, India sent the anti-submarine frigate Cadmat (displacement of 3,300 tons), which has stealth capabilities, to the South China Sea to conduct joint training with the Philippine Navy’s Ramon Alcaraz.
Not only the Philippines, but also Vietnam and Indonesia are pursuing the purchase of BrahMos missiles. Indonesia is said to have already concluded negotiations with India, and Vietnam is said to be in the process of negotiating. Vietnam is said to be planning to purchase 3 to 5 batteries of BrahMos missiles.
BrahMos can be said to be a powerful asymmetric force for Southeast Asian countries whose power is significantly inferior to that of the Chinese Navy. Although the gap in naval power will not be resolved in the short term with a single missile, Chinese naval vessels advancing into the South China Sea will have no choice but to keep an eye out for BrahMos missiles that may come flying in from any time and place. Chinese portal site Wang Yi wrote, “India has handed the Philippines a dagger.”
In mid-December last year, the Indian Navy frigate Kadmat (front) is conducting joint training with the Philippine Navy’s Ramon Alcaraz in the South China Sea, where China and the Philippines are involved in a territorial dispute. /India Sentinels
◇ “Why are you crossing the Indian Ocean?” Fierce revenge
India’s BrahMos exports are aimed at achieving the effect of killing two birds with one stone. The goal is to emerge as a defense industry powerhouse through BrahMos exports, while also keeping China, which is concentrated in the Indian Ocean, in check.
As the Philippines engaged in a territorial dispute with China, allies such as the United States, Japan, and Australia have provided support to the Philippines in various forms. We supported advanced radar, unmanned aerial vehicles, and transport aircraft. However, out of concern for China, they did not supply weapons that could cause a fatal blow. In this situation, India has stepped forward to supply hypersonic missiles that will act as a ‘poisonous needle’. When China crossed the Indian Ocean, it fought back by intervening in the South China Sea dispute.
Even within China, there are many analyzes that India is retaliating against China beyond simple defense exports. China has been actively targeting the Indian Ocean as a route to import Middle Eastern oil, avoiding the Strait of Malacca, where the United States dominates the sea. We have secured the operating rights to Gwadar Port in Pakistan and Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka, and have recently begun development of Kyaukpyu Port in Myanmar.
We are also sending an ocean exploration vessel to explore the topography of the Indian Ocean’s ocean floor. This is preliminary work for the deployment of domestic submarines. This is why India reacted sensitively to the Chinese maritime exploration ship’s port calls in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
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