In April 2024, India delivered three batteries of shore-based anti-ship variant of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines as part of the $375 million deal signed in 2022. The Philippines became the first export customer of the joint venture BrahMos supersonic cruise missile between India and Russia. As India seeks to expand its footprint as a supplier of advanced defence technology, the BrahMos missile systems have become the flagship product upholding India’s vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. Notwithstanding the ‘renaissance’ in India-Philippines bilateral relations in recent years, these developments have coincided with a growing trust deficit between India and China post the border clashes of 2020, intense military encounters between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, widening defence cooperation and dialogues between India and ASEAN. Against this backdrop, the BrahMos missile is a stepping stone for India to become a defence exporter for its Southeast Asian counterparts. Whether India’s defence industry is equipped to tackle the hindrances of the regional arms market while retaining a competitive edge of BrahMos missile systems remains to be seen. In this episode Mriganika Singh Tanwar, Research Analyst, ISAS-NUS, is in conversation with Dr. Rajeshwari Pillai Rajagopalan, Resident Senior Fellow, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Canberra, Australia. The discussion draws upon India’s defence diplomacy in Southeast Asia with special reference to BrahMos missile deal between India and the Philippines and its spillover effects on the regional security in the Indo-Pacific.