Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. (Reuters)The Philippines has finalized a deal to acquire a shore-based anti-ship missile system from India for nearly US$375 million to beef up its navy, the Southeast Asian nation's defense minister said. Under the deal negotiated with the government of India, Brahmos Aerospace Private Ltd will deliver three batteries, train operators and maintainers, and provide logistics support, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a Facebook post late on Friday. The new anti-ship system aims to deter foreign vessels from encroaching on the country's 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone. In 2018, the Philippines bought Israeli-made Spike ER missiles, its first-ever ship-borne missile systems for maritime deterrence.

Source: The Standard January 15, 2022 04:11 UTC