Is Philippines’ aim to become an arms exporter like India overly ambitious?

The Philippines is looking to India as a model of defence self-reliance as it continues building its capabilities to manage maritime disputes following the purchase of its first BrahMos missiles from Delhi.

While India’s experience is useful, it is more practical for Manila to cooperate with Delhi in stages than push quickly to manufacture its own weapons, according to analysts.

Speaking at a forum organised by Indian think tank Observer Research Foundation on August 12, the Philippines ambassador to India, Josel Ignacio, said that Manila was satisfied with the purchase of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, adding that they provided the Philippines “real credible deterrence” amid ongoing maritime challenges in the South China Sea.

The Philippines is embarking on military modernisation to prioritise deterrence through an integrated air and missile defence system, mid-range launchers and enhanced radar capabilities.

Defence cooperation was becoming an “important pillar” of the strategic partnership between the two countries, Ignacio said.

He called the BrahMos deal an important component of Manila’s efforts in modernising its military, adding that the missiles were “in sync with the kind of archipelagic defence we want to have”.