According to a report published by noted Indian Navy analyst Aritra Banerjee (the author of 'The Indian Navy @75: Reminiscing the Voyage'), the Philippines is set to receive the first consignment of BrahMos missiles from India on Friday with the Indian Air Force's (IAF) heavy-lift aircraft C-17 Globemaster carrying the widely acclaimed rocket scheduled to leave the South Asian country for Manila on Thursday.
The expected arrival of the first batch of the BrahMos in the Philippines is in line with BrahMos Aerospace's earlier pledge of delivering all three batteries of the supersonic missile by the end of the year.
Earlier, the delivery of the BrahMos missiles was pushed back by India as deployment sites weren't ready in the Philippines.
"There were difficulties with preparing missile deployment sites because of strong monsoons. Their construction was postponed a bit. We expect to complete it within two months. Shipments will happen as soon as we are finished," BrahMos Aerospace's export director Praveen Pathak said in February.
The BrahMos missile, recognized as the fastest supersonic missile in the world, is expected to enhance the combat capabilities of the Filipino Defense Forces in the region, especially of its Marines where Manila has to contest the maritime claims of China in the South China Sea.