A WZ-7 Soaring Dragon drone of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army was recently spotted flying close to Philippines at a time when the country is preparing to receive  BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles from India.

The WZ-7 drone, which has a distinctive and instantly identifiable joined-wing shape, was spotted flying over the West Philippine Sea, a section of the South China Sea to the northwest of the Philippine archipelago, reported Raffy Tima, a correspondent for the Philippine news organization GMA News, as quoted by The EurAsian Times.

The incident occurred amid rising tension between China and the Philippines over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

The acquisition of the BrahMos missile from India has also been touted as a move at building capability against an aggressive China, reported The EurAsian Times.

India is going to deliver the first set of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines, media reports said.

The move is a part of the USD 375 million deal between the two contries signed in 2022.

The Indian Air Force is sending its American-origin C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft with the missiles to Philippines to deliver the weapon system to the Philippines Marine Corps, defence sources told ANI.

The transportation of systems has also taken place through the sea route where cargo vessels were hired, the sources said.

The export of ground systems for the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system along with the missiles started last month itself, they said.

The 4th India-Philippines Joint Consular Consultative Meeting (JCCM) was held in Manila on 12 April 2024.