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The Philippines seeks to procure new missile systems to modernize its Army’s capabilities as the country’s military shifts to a territorial defense posture. Plans to acquire advanced missile systems such as American HIMARS MLRS and Indian BrahMos supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles were highlighted by Philippine Army Chief Romeo Brawner during the Army Artillery Regiment’s 125th Anniversary Ceremony. The regiment’s ambitious plans come as Manila enters Horizon 3 this year, the final phase of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ 15-year-long modernization program.
Brawner highlighted the future of the Army Artillery Regiment as the “forefront” of the Philippine Army’s contribution toward the country’s military modernization effort, stating:
"In the coming years, ladies and gentlemen, you will be seeing an even stronger, more lethal, Army Artillery Regiment. Darating po yung ating makabagong kagamitan (Our new equipment will be coming soon).”
Army Artillery Regiment’s Shift to Territorial Defense
At the moment, the Army Artillery Regiment’s 10 Artillery Battalions are mostly made up of Cold War-era assets. Previously, the focus of the regiment was to support counterinsurgency operations across the Philippine Archipelago. However, amid regional tensions and the insufficiency of the AFP to properly counter modern threats, the country has started to shift toward a territorial defense posture.
In recent years, a new focus on territorial defense has led to a trickle of modern assets into the regiment. The unit only recently received 12 ATMOS 2000s, the service’s first modern self-propelled guns. While these, alongside towed cannons, were employed against naval targets in previous exercises, they are insufficient against modern warships and have a limited range.
The regiment also does not have any anti-aircraft systems, with the Philippine Army having to rely on autocannons and machine guns against aerial threats. In other words, the service lacks an Integrated Air and Missile Defense capability.
Units activated to receive new assets have been without them for years, as seen with the regiment’s two multiple launch rocket system batteries, two Air Defense Artillery batteries, and one Shore-Based Missile System battery. All of these units are currently waiting for their equipment.
This deficiency in assets for territorial defense is set to change, with Brawner stating:
“We [will] have anti-ship missiles, we will have air-defense artillery, we will have HIMARS coming in the next years"
During the ceremony, the Army Artillery Regiment presented what they saw as their future capabilities. These included a variety of anti-aircraft, cruise missile, and rocket launch systems. Most notably, the regiment demonstrated its interest in procuring dedicated anti-ship and MLRS systems.
BrahMos and HIMARS
For the Shore-Based Missile System requirement of the Philippine Army, the service is expected to procure India’s BrahMos supersonic anti-ship cruise missile. Previously, under its own program, the Philippine Navy ordered three batteries of BrahMos for use by the Philippine Marine Corps. BrahMos’ acquisition also marked a significant milestone in Philippine military modernization, with its 290 km range and Mach 3 speed providing a never-before-seen capability to the AFP.
The first battery of BrahMos for the Philippine Marines Corps’ Coastal Defense Regiment is expected to arrive by December, and the Army is likely to procure two batteries of BrahMos this year. In all, two services of the Armed Forces of the Philippines will deploy five BrahMos batteries for coastal defense roles.
On the other hand, the M142 High Mobility Rocket Artillery System is being procured for the service’s multiple rocket launch system requirement. It should be noted that even with HIMARS being listed with Israeli’s Lynx and Korea’s K239 Chunmoo, the American MLRS was explicitly stated by Brawner as a system the regiment will soon receive. Another first for the Army Artillery Regiment, the acquisition of an MLRS system will provide long-range fires for the service.
Naval News reached out to Collin Koh, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, for his thoughts on what the procurement of HIMARS means for the Philippine Army:
"In today’s context, especially given what we saw in the war in Ukraine, clearly having multiple launch rocket artillery systems becomes increasingly vital. HIMARS is a precision rocket artillery system that’s going to serve as a force multiplier for the Philippine Army, which by many respects, is considered a small force. In other words, where the Philippine Army is deficient in terms of mass of manpower and hardware, HIMARS may offset this disadvantage by providing precision firepower.”
Graphic depicting the reach of the Philippine Marine Corps’ future BrahMos missiles. Credit to Zach Abdi.
Koh also highlighted the need for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance systems and networks to support the deployment of these precision weapons:
“HIMARS is designed as a precision rocket artillery, so ISR and targeting capability is key to its effective combat employment. In this respect, what are the Philippine Army’s plans for ISR and targeting capability buildup? Is it standalone, or service-specific buildup in this respect or it’s an overall AFP effort that means HIMARS will be part of this whole sensor-shooter network that includes other precision weapons such as BrahMos”
HIMARS: A Familiar System
While HIMARS received most of its publicity from the ongoing Russian Invasion of Ukraine, it is not an unfamiliar system to Philippine troops. For years, U.S. Marine Corps and Army HIMARS’ have trained in the Philippines through the many annual combined exercises between the two countries.
During Balikatan 2023, Philippine troops witnessed the rapid deployment and mobility of HIMARS in Palawan, an island province on the West Philippine Sea, via C-130 in what is known as a HIMARS Rapid Infiltration drill. HIMARS was also deployed to the Batanes, a series of islands in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, via U.S. Army landing craft. HIMARS’ ability to be transported around by air and sea during these exercises likely played a major role in the Philippine Army’s decision to acquire the rocket system.
One of the current shortcomings of HIMARS being used in an anti-ship role was also seen during this year’s Balikatan SINKEX. Specifically, the fact that none of the six guided rockets launched hit. While the purpose of the exercise was to test the “Kill Chain” of U.S. forces, it also highlighted a need for dedicated anti-ship munitions for HIMARS. Such solutions are in development, such as PrSM and LRASM integration.
Brawner emphasized the importance of these previous exercises for the familiarization and training Philippine troops received from U.S. troops. The Army Chief used this year’s Balikatan as an example, stating:
“This year during the Balikatan exercise, we have already been trained by our U.S. counterparts on the use of this modern equipment. Even if they are not yet in our inventory. This is to make sure once we get these new weapons systems, we already have the unit in place, the facilities, and we have the people who are trained for use on these weapons systems. In other words, these weapon systems will hit the ground running.”
Brawner emphasized the importance of these previous exercises for the familiarization and training Philippine troops received from U.S. troops. The Army Chief used this year’s Balikatan as an example, stating
“This year during the Balikatan exercise, we have already been trained by our U.S. counterparts on the use of this modern equipment. Even if they are not yet in our inventory. This is to make sure once we get these new weapons systems, we already have the unit in place, the facilities, and we have the people who are trained for use on these weapons systems. In other words, these weapon systems will hit the ground running.”
Modernization Assistance from the U.S. and India
In May, Philippine and U.S. officials met in Washington to finalize Bilateral Defense Guidelines between the two countries. Philippine military modernization is one of the core efforts being undertaken to achieve these guidelines, specifically the completion of a five-year Security Sector Assistance Roadmap which will “identify priority defense platforms and force packages” for transfer to the AFP.
The guidelines further state that the Philippines should “prioritize the procurement of interoperable defense platforms.” On its end, the U.S. will source this equipment from Foreign Military Financing, Foreign Military Sales, and Excess Defense Articles. This will be needed, as the Philippines’ limited military budget makes the procurement of modern, and expensive, American systems difficult without prior assistance.
In contrast to the Philippines’ longstanding security relationship with the U.S., India has stepped up as a potential source of military aid. The Philippines’ procurement of BrahMos was the first-ever export of the Indian missile system, marking a significant milestone for India’s defense exports.
This week, India offered a line of credit to procure Indian military equipment in a meeting between Philippine and Indian foreign ministers. The line of credit is focused on meeting Manila’s “defense requirements,” and was previously offered in 2018. Officials also discussed the “acquisition of naval assets".
One of the points where American and Indian defense efforts in the Philippines converge is in the Philippine Marine Corps’ Coastal Defense Regiment. This unit frequently trains with the U.S. Marine Corps Marine Littoral Regiment and the U.S. Army Multi-Domain Task Force. Earlier this year, 21 personnel from the CDR completed training on the unit’s future BrahMos anti-ship missiles in India. Defense and industry officials from both the U.S. and India can usually be seen during major Coastal Defense Regiment events, such as at the activation of the Shore-Based Air Defense System Battalion.
Both the U.S. and India are stepping up their military cooperation and assistance to the Philippines as the country finds itself between a rock and a hard place in both the South China Sea and the Luzon Strait. Amid longstanding territorial disputes against China in the South China Sea, Manila is also finding itself in the crossfire on the issue of Taiwan. In an interview, Philippine President Marcos stated that if a conflict occurred over Taiwan, the Philippines will “be brought into the conflict because of whoever is… whichever sides are at work.”
Concern over regional tensions was reflected by the Philippine Army Chief Brawner in his closing remarks.
“We have to prepare as early as now for any eventuality, and one of the units we are really preparing is the Army Artillery Regiment.”
Philippines to Acquire HIMARS, More BrahMos Missiles in Coming Years
The Philippine Army looks to American HIMARS and Indian BrahMos missiles amid its shift to territorial defense operations.
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