Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Shambhu Kumaran during an interview in Taguig City on Aug 15, 2022. He said the initial delivery of the BrahMos missile system to Manila is expected in 2023

MANILA – The initial delivery of the BrahMos missile system to Manila is expected in 2023, the Indian Embassy in Manila said.

In an interview on the sidelines of India's 75th Independence Day celebration in Taguig City on Monday night, Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Shambhu Kumaran said the contract "is proceeding quite well."

"We are expecting the deliveries to happen sometime next year, we don't have a specific date but we're working towards next year," he told reporters.

The Department of National Defence signed the contract for the acquisition of the Indian-made BrahMos medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missiles worth PHP18.9 billion last January 28.

Under the contract, Manila will get three missile batteries, each of which consists of mobile autonomous launchers and tracking systems.

The BrahMos cruise missile can be launched from a ship, aircraft, submarine, or land and has a top speed of around Mach 2.8 (around 3,400 km. per hour), and is capable of carrying warheads weighing 200 to 300 kilograms.

The Philippine Marine Corps' Shore Based Anti-Ship Missile battalion, activated last April 3, would be operating the anti-ship missile systems.