The Philippines on Friday inked a deal with BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd for supply of the shore-based anti-ship variant of the BrahMos supersonic missile system — India’s first significant defence export.

The deal is worth $375 million and the BrahMos missiles are developed jointly by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya.

India’s defence ministry said in a statement that BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL) signed a contract with the Department of National Defence of the Republic of Philippines on January 28 for supply of the shore-based anti-ship missile system to the archipelago.

“The BAPL is a joint venture company of the Defence Research and Development Organisation. The contract is an important step forward for the Government of India’s policy of promoting responsible defence exports,” the statement said.

BrahMos Aerospace, an India-Russia joint venture, produces the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or from land platforms.

India has already deployed a sizeable number of BrahMos missiles and other key assets in several strategic locations along the China frontier in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.

Sources said BrahMos was a supersonic cruise missile with a range of 300km to 500km.