BrahMos Missile System to Undergo 'Simulation Firing' in 'Balikatan'

27 April 2026

Brahmos land-based anti-ship missile (infographic: ASEAN Skyline)

MANILA – The Indian-made BrahMos cruise missile system, considered the Philippines' most powerful weapon in its arsenal, will be subjected to simulation firing during the maritime strike phase of the “Balikatan" military exercises.

"The BrahMos of the Coastal Defense Regiment of the Philippine Marines will participate during the Balikatan, but it will be only in a constructive environment. It will only [be] … simulation firing during the joint maritime strike in Northern Luzon," Philippine Balikatan exercise director Maj. Gen. Francisco Lorenzo said in a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Monday.

Simulation firing refers to a training scenario where all sensors and fire control systems of the platforms are activated as if in an actual scenario, except that no weapons are launched.

"There will be a lot of capabilities [that] will be utilized during this Balikatan but as of now, we cannot say when and what (those) will be," Lorenzo added.

The first BrahMos batteries were delivered in April 2024. A battery usually consists of three to six launchers along with monitoring and tracking components and logistics support vehicles.

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

This weapon platform is expected to address the country’s military weaknesses and vulnerabilities in sea control, anti-access/area-denial, and coastal and island defense operations.

As this developed, US Balikatan exercise director Lt. Gen. Christian Wortman confirmed the presence of the Typhon Medium Range Capability (MRC) missile system in the Philippines as of this time.

"The Typhon system remains in the Philippines and we anticipate that it will be incorporated at some level during the course of the exercise. But as I previously mentioned, the details of participation by any given system are still being finalized as part of our bilateral coordination. We certainly welcome having the Typhon. It's an important capability," he said.

Wortman added that they are also looking forward to the incorporation of the BrahMos, Typhon, NMESIS (Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System) and other-end systems into Balikatan.

"We think it's important that we gain experience planning, coordinating and integrating these capabilities, which have the potential to be more powerful when incorporated or applied together. So additional details to follow on the exact participation or activities of the Typhon system," he said.

The Typhon MRC, was first deployed in the Philippines during the April 2024 “Salaknib" Army to Army exercise. It is a weapons platform capable of firing long-range missiles like Tomahawk Land Attack Missile and the Standard Missile-6, believed to have a range at least 1,000 nautical miles.

Meanwhile, NMESIS, a mobile anti-ship missile system with a range of 100 nautical miles, was first used in last year's Balikatan. 

(PNA)