Israel Aerospace Industries
announces contracts worth $2 billion (Rs 13,000 crore) for AD systems like LR-SAM (above)
By Ajai Shukla
Business Standard, 7th April 17
Israel is set to overtake the US and become
India’s largest foreign arms supplier in 2016-17 with lucrative contracts to
supply advanced anti-aircraft and anti-missile defence systems to the army and
navy.
On Thursday, Israel Aerospace Industries
(IAI) announced the award of Indian defence contracts totalling “almost $2
billion” (Rs 13,000 crore).
One mega-contract worth over $1.6 billion, which
an IAI release termed “the largest defense contract in Israel's defense industries’
(sic) history” is for the supply of Medium Range Surface to Air Missiles
(MR-SAM) to the Indian Army.
In addition, IAI says it has been awarded a
contract to supply additional Long Range Surface to Air Missiles (LR-SAMs) anti-ship
missile defence systems for INS Vikrant, India’s first home-built aircraft
carrier, which is being constructed in Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL).
The Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO) and
IAI have jointly developed MR-SAM and LR-SAM. The DRDO developed the propulsion
systems of the MR-SAM, while IAI developed the radar and guidance systems.
The LR-SAM, also called the Barak 8, detects
and shoots down incoming anti-ship missiles (ASMs) at ranges out to 70
kilometres. Sea-skimming, hard-to-detect ASMs like the Harpoon and Exocet,
which can be launched from aircraft, surface warships or submarines, are one of
the greatest hazards a surface warship faces. The LR-SAM provides effective
protection against the newest generation of these anti-ship missiles.
The MR-SAM, which uses the same missile as
the LR-SAM, but a different radar and control systems, protects ground-based
targets like air bases and army units. It detects incoming enemy aircraft while
they are well over a hundred kilometres away and destroys them at ranges out to
70 kilometres.
The DRDO told Business Standard that the
Indian Air Force (IAF) is the lead service for the MR-SAM development project,
contributing 90 per cent of the Rs 10,075 crore development cost. However, the
Indian Army has also come on board, convinced of the value of this system.
In March 2009, the IAF signed a contract
for 18 MR-SAM fire units (each equipped with 24 missiles), which were to be
delivered by October 2016. But with the first test having been conducted only
last June, it is estimated that the MR-SAM will enter IAF service only by 2018.
The LR-SAM, in contrast, has already equipped
the Indian Navy’s new Kolkata-class destroyers. In December 2015, INS Kolkata
successfully tested two LR-SAM missiles. Now, with INS Vikrant scheduled to be
commissioned next year, it will be fitted with the LR-SAM.
Besides the lucrative market for air
defence systems, Israel is a big player in the “unmanned aerial vehicle” (UAV)
segment, having supplied Searcher drones to the Indian military, and an order
for the Heron-TP armed drones being processed currently.
Also in the pipeline are two Israeli
Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS), which are essentially
powerful airborne radars mounted on the Ilyushin-76 transport aircraft. Besides
the flying crew, an AWACS carriers “fighter controllers”, who observe enemy
aircraft movement in a range of several hundred kilometres, and direct friendly
aircraft sorties to respond to that.
Israel’s success in the Indian defence
market is remarkable, considering that it does not supply lucrative “capital
platforms” like warships, aircraft and tanks. It supplies mainly “systems”,
that enhance the performance of capital platforms supplied by other countries.
India’s foreign arms supplies
|
Country
|
2013-14
|
2014-15
|
2015-16
|
Total
|
|||
|
Contracts
|
Value
|
Contracts
|
Value
|
Contracts
|
Value
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Russia
|
2
|
1,342
|
7
|
6,085
|
3
|
947
|
8,374
|
|
Israel
|
5
|
3,751
|
1
|
875
|
4
|
2,979
|
7,605
|
|
USA
|
7
|
6,787
|
2
|
58
|
4
|
22,050
|
28,895
|
|
France
|
2
|
299
|
3
|
1,537
|
0
|
0
|
1,836
|
|
Others
|
5
|
1,072
|
5
|
2,707
|
6
|
3,195
|
6,974
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
21
|
13,251
|
18
|
11,262
|
17
|
29,172
|
53,685
|
(Chart from Standing Committee on Defence,
Report No. 31)
Every country has developed a niche in products and system development.
ReplyDeleteIsreal buys "capital" equipment from Elsewhere (fighters, submarines) where heavy historic knowledge and deep pockets are needed.
Else where like rifles, missiles, they develop their own. These are world beating products built to own specs.
Our first arms manufacturing began in 1780s, we still do not have decent rifle.
We need to thank big greed that forced army to use Indian talent outside Government to develop Artillery quickly.
Isreali has deployed 4 generations of merkava, we have no clue what we need. We photocopy russian or American tank specs !
GoI has to seriously think how we could mess up so much.
How come it treats every non-DRDO indian co any as incompetent or thinks only this organization has knowledge to develop weapons.
we have huge population that provides a big civilian market unlike Israel . So much could be done for example in local developed communication switches !
You should write an article and put tonnes of photos on the floods now in Kashmir.
ReplyDeleteThe Indian army gas put down its guns and helping out "our" people.
These hurrirats and their paid stone pesters are nowhere in the picture.
These the reason why your articles on Kashmir emphasising empathy are met contempt.
If you allow me to comment on this article for an aspect other than arms supply, it amazes me to find a country 150 times smaller than India, surrounded by enemies, a desert, reaching such development so as to supply India with MR-SAMs and pipping USA. The East has all the gods but the west has all the brains.
ReplyDeletehahahaha lol why not also order a few meatloafs to destroy the environment while you're at it.. because.. you know.. the world will end faster with climate disaster than it would with weapons of mass destruction
ReplyDelete