As part of this year’s Balikatan Exercises, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will gauge how the United States Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) missile launcher will work with the newly-acquired BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles.
US Marine Colonel Doug Krugman, senior exercise planner for Balikatan 2025, said the NMESIS has similar capabilities to the BrahMos.
“The Armed Forces of the Philippines has recently acquired the BrahMos coastal defense cruise missile system and the NMESIS is a similar capability. So, as we’re working to ensure interoperability, I think it’s natural that we would bring a light capability to exercise alongside the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” Krugman said.
The Department of National Defense (DND) signed an P18.9 billion contract with BrahMos Aerospace in 2022 for three batteries of the BrahMos, which is widely regarded as the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile.
The first battery was delivered to the Philippines in April 2024 while the second battery was shipped from India earlier this week and is on its way to the Philippines, according to Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
"It's already on its way and we will use this properly," he said.
The BrahMos missile is an “intelligent unmanned rocket” designed to carry the payload to a designated point with an aim of destroying the target.
The missile has a flight range of up to 290 km with supersonic speed all through the flight which leads to a shorter flight time and ensures a lower dispersion of its target, a quicker engagement time, and a capability that cannot be intercepted “by any known weapon system in the world.”
It can be launched from a ship, aircraft, submarine or land, and is capable of carrying warheads weighing 200 to 300 kilograms.
Meanwhile, the NMESIS is a mountable, ground-based anti-ship missile launcher. It is described as a “ship killer” as it is designed to strike against ships at a distance of around 100 miles.
Both the BrahMos and NMESIS are intended for coastal defense, which means they are capable of denying enemies from accessing coastal areas and key choke points, effectively controlling the seas from land.
“For the NMESIS or the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, I think it's in the exercise because the purpose of the exercise is to ensure we're advancing our capabilities,” Krugman noted.
This was agreed upon by Brig. Gen. Michael Logico, Balikatan spokesperson.
“I agree because we are also looking at the capabilities that we did not have before. So with the presence of the NMESIS, we are also intending to train that in conjunction with our Brahmos system. These are capabilities that will expand our reach beyond our territorial waters,” he explained.
The Balikatan Exercises are currently ongoing, involving around 17,000 troops from the AFP and US Indo-Pacific Command.
Balikatan also involves the participation of the Japan Self Defense Force (JSDF) and Australian Defense Force (ADF), as well as the militaries of United Kingdom and Canada. Meanwhile, international observers from 20 countries were taking part in the international service program to watch the drills.
“Every year we conduct Balikatan Exercises to foster interoperability between our two armed forces. So, it is both a joint exercise because we are exercising all the major branches of service, the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. And we're also going to do it together with the United States Armed Forces,” Logico said.
The exercises include combined command post-exercise, two coastal defense live fires, an integrated air and missile defense live fire, and a maritime strike exercise where combined strength from the AFP and US Indopacom will be used to sink a target ship in the Philippines’ territorial waters.
The exercises are being held in Northern Luzon and Batanes island near Taiwan, as well as Palawan and West Philippine Sea (WPS) from April 21 to May 9.
China, however, is not happy with the Balikatan Exercises.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the drills compromise the strategic stability of other countries in the region.
Krugman, in response, questioned the motive of the exercises’ detractors.
“For those who have qualms about the exercise, we are here training alongside the Armed Forces of the Philippines at the invitation of your President [Marcos] and your people to ensure we are capable of meeting our treaty obligations to defend the Philippines,” he said.
“If anyone has concerns about two armed forces working together for defensive purposes, I would question the motivations of those people and why they would worry about somebody defending themselves,” he added.
Avenger training
Filipino and American soldiers teamed up to train on the “Avenger,” the powerful short-range air defense missile system from the United States.
Personnel from the AFP and US Army participated in a subject matter expert exchange (SMEE) focused on the familiarization with the premier shoot-on-the-move air defense platform – the Avenger air defense system – and its primary armament, the FIM-92 Stinger missile, at the Naval Education, Training and Doctrine Command (NETDC) in Zambales on Tuesday, April 22.
The SMEE on the Avenger missile system was part of this year’s iteration of the Balikatan Exercises.
“This exchange strengthens tactical synchronization, enhances combined operational readiness, and demonstrates the enduring interoperability and mutual commitment of both forces to regional security and defense preparedness,” according to Lt. Col. John Paul Salgado, chief of the Combined Joint Information Bureau for Balikatan.
The Avenger is a highly mobile, short-range air defense system, which integrates eight ready-to-fire Stinger missiles mounted on a Humvee four-wheeled military vehicle.
It provides rapid target engagement against low-flying aircraft, helicopters, and unmanned aerial systems.
Meanwhile, the Stinger missile is known for its infrared homing guidance and fire-and-forget capability, which means it can be launched, and the missile will autonomously track and destroy its target without further input from the operator after launch.
The Stinger missile allows operators to quickly neutralize aerial threats with high precision.