Indo-israel ties take a missile hit

In what could be seen as a hiccup in the burgeoning India-Israel defence cooperation, India’s defence ministry has reportedly decided to scrap advanced talks to buy 1,600 Spike Anti-Tank Guided Missiles for $500 million.

In what could be seen as a hiccup in the burgeoning India-Israel defence cooperation, India’s defence ministry has reportedly decided to scrap advanced talks to buy 1,600 Spike Anti-Tank Guided Missiles for $500 million. The Spike MR missile with an operational range of 2.5 km can be used both during the day and night. Instead, the government has asked the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to produce a Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile for the Army as part of its Make in India program.

Rafael, the Israeli manufacturer of the missile which had partnered with India’s Kalyani Strategic Systems and set up a manufacturing unit near Hyderabad last year, however, denied any knowledge about the cancellation, and said the negotiations were on track. Reports that India wants to walk out of the deal—discussions for which began in 2014—could impact the rapidly growing defence relationship, which saw New Delhi become the largest buyer of defence equipment from Israel.

If the Spike deal had gone through, Israel would have become India’s largest weapons supplier. India in fact owns and operates more Israeli drones, than Israel does, and is expected to buy its first set of armed Heron drones—especially adapted for Kashmir’s climate and altitude—later this year. While India’s defence ministry seems confident about the DRDO’s ability to manufacture the missile, sources in the Army, which wanted these missiles deployed on the Pakistan border, expressed skepticism.

In July, Narendra Modi became the first Indian PM to visit Israel, and signed big ticket contracts to ramp up the economic—and defence—ties between the two nations. Earlier this month, Indian Air Force fighters joined Israel and five NATO air forces in the Blue Flag joint air force exercises for the first time. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to travel to India on January 14 on a three-day official visit. While it is unlikely, there is some speculation that cancelling this deal might impact those travel plans.

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The New Indian Express
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