PIONEER NEWS SERVICE■ NEW DELHI With the objective of further bolstering the Navy’s firepower, the Government has given the nod for a Rs 20,000 crore deal to procure 200 Brahmos supersonic missiles. The contract is likely to be firmed up in next few days. The nod for the mega deal was given by Cabinet Committee on Security(CCS) on Wednesday, sources said here on Thursday. Brahmos is joint venture between India and Russia and the supersonic missiles are manufactured within India. The induction of Brahmos missiles will shore up Indian Navy’s arsenal. The missiles deployed on warships are used for anti-ship and attack operations. This highly sophisticated missile can be launched from ships, submarines, fighter jets and from land. Indian Army and Navy have already inducted the Brahmos missiles over the last few years. Given its proven capabilities, the Philippines has inked a deal for procuring Brahmos missiles from India in a deal worth 375 million dollars. The first set of these missiles will reach the Philippines in March, it was learnt. The Brahmos missile can accurately strike a target at sea and land at a range of more than 300 kms. Specifically designed for naval deployment, this weapon can be launched in a vertical or inclined mode from a stationary or moving maritime platform, engaging targets at stand-off ranges on sea or land. In 2016, as India became a member of the Missile Technology Control Rregime(MTCR), India and Russia are now planning to jointly develop a new generation of BrahMos missiles with 800 km range and an ability to hit protected targets with pinpoint accuracy. Plans are to eventually upgrade all missiles to a range of 1,500 km. Meanwhile, the CCS approval for Brahmos missile acquisition comes days after the defence ministry approved a proposal to procure nine maritime surveillance aircraft for the Indian Navy and six maritime patrol aircraft for the Indian Coast Guard. The proposed acquisition involves the construction of 15 maritime patrol planes, which will be based on C-295 transport aircraft that are being manufactured in India in a joint venture between Tata Advanced Systems and Airbus. The estimated value of these projects stands at Rs 29,000 crore. The transport aircraft would be equipped with the required radars and sensors and turned into a maritime patrol plane by the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS)